Rebirth
by Hanae da Firefly
Summary: The day Hollow Bastion was consumed by the shadows, Cloud, on the brink of death, & Squall were brought together by the flimsy ties of destiny. Struggling to be released from Sephiroth's vicegrip, Cloud seeks solace in Squall's friendship. [SephxCxSquall]
1. I Am

**Rebirth**

**I: I Am**

* * *

It was cold. His uncovered skin felt the frosty chill as his entire body shivered. Groping around in the dark for something to cover himself with, he could feel a warm finger sliding down his neck to his back slowly, _sensuously_. He shuddered involuntarily, listening to breathy whispers that were low and husky in his ear. He suppressed the arousal that was rushing through his body. He had to resist it.

"You're mine," the voice whispered, his hands sliding across the smaller man's smooth chest. "All of you. . ." the hands went to his stomach, then the navel, and then even lower. . .

He choked, gasping as he struggled to get those hands away. If this went on, he wouldn't be able to suppress his urge anymore. He had to get away. _Get away before it's too late_.

"Why do you resist?" The voice asked mockingly, "I know you want me. You've always wanted me. That's why you are _mine_. . ."

He could feel tears stinging his eyes.

"N-no. .! Get-get away! Get away!"

"Why do you resist. . .?"

"D-don't touch me! I-I'm not yours. .! I don't belong to you!"

"Why do you keep fighting me. . .?"

"N-no. . .! NO! Nnnnngh. . . nnnoo. . .!"

". . . _Cloud_. . ."

* * *

That had to be some sort of a singularly transcendent dream. Or something along those lines.

Cid was crossing his arms, looking down on the young man currently thrashing under the sheets. And not in that kind of really scared shitless or struggling kind of thrashing but. . .

Well, he was _thrashing_ all right.

A gasp eluded the young guy. Cid couldn't help but wince. He suppressed the urge to smack the kid, and make him stop but opted to keep watching instead. Might prove to be informative, people sleep talking usually let out more informa-

A moan.

Cid's eye twitched, but he seemed oddly fascinated by this. 'Is this voyeurism?' he wondered, a smirk crossing his features. 'Heh, this shit seems like fun.' He leaned forward slightly, anxiously waiting for the next action. He could hear rising whispers from the kid as he began to moan longingly. 'Looks like the fucker's gonna hit his peak. . .'

He felt a heavy piece of metal connecting with the back of his scalp promptly.

"What the FUCK do ya think you're doing! Fucker! That fucking hurts!"

"Shut it you perverted old man," the young brunette countered, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Cid wanted to retort but held his tongue as he caught sight of the hilt of the Gunblade that was responsible for his concussion.

The brunette sat on the bed. He gently looked through the man's injuries, murmuring as he wondered what had happened. The wounds looked bad, real bad. The man began to mutter feverishly as he ran a hand along a particularly deep incision.

Well that did it.

". . . .ack. .!" the man managed to choke out as his hand shot up, whacking the brunette in the face and causing him to fall backwards onto the floor. Blinking slightly, he fingered the incision with his other hand, massaging it. Eyes still out of focus, he could make out three silhouettes in front of him, but that was all. He was too battered to be able to put his guard up.

As the wheels in his head finally began to turn, he had so many things he wanted to shout out to these blurry strangers. He wanted to know who, and what, and where. He wanted to know if they were allies or enemies. He wanted to tell them to back off and let him be. He wanted to say that he needed to know if anyone else was still alive. His throat was parched.

Eventually, his vision became clearer and his throat began to work as well. He could see the guy on the floor was back on his feet, massaging his jaw. He tried to synchronize his body so that he could say whatever he wanted to say intelligently so that he would be relieved of all his burdens, so that he would know the next step he had to take. He had to say so many important things. These people were looking so expectantly at him. The last fight was bad. He thought that he wouldn't even be able to survive. And now, he would finally voice all of it out.

". . . am I naked. . .?"

If he had the energy, he would have throttled himself there and then.

An amused expression flickered across the young girl's face who was leaning against the doorway.

"Not nearly as much as we'd like you to be," she replied mischievously.

Cid whacked her upside her head.

"Oww! Hey, you're one to talk, pervert!"

The blond man on the bed looked at them dazed, as though still battered from the previous battle. The injuries marring his body were serious and major. He wouldn't be able to move for weeks. It was amazing enough that he was still alive.

"Are you okay? Can you see how many fingers I'm holding up?"Yuffie asked as she walked towards him, leaning forward and thrusting her hand a little farther from his face. He squinted, inclining his head to a side and slowly, words began to form.

"Th-three. . ."

She nodded in satisfaction, letting her hands rest on her hips and turning her upper body to face the two behind her. "He seems better now. Maybe we should let him get his head straight first," she said conclusively. The other two didn't respond.

After a while, it seemed like the he was able to fully use his body the way he remembered. He scanned the room, taking in all he saw. He locked eyes with the brunette whose hands were still rubbing a sore spot on his jaw.

"Ah, um. . . I'm sorry. . . sorry about that," he said, pointing. The brunette raised his eyebrows in reply, letting his hand drop to his side. "It's fine. You were having a nightmare."

Cid smirked.

Squall glared at him.

"Are you feeling okay? Can you tell us who you are?" he asked, turning to the blond man one again.

". . . I am. . . Cloud Strife."

* * *

**A/N:** Hello, this is my first Kingdom Hearts fic. Wow, a different category in 4 years. I'm superb. I promise, I WILL update. Expecially with THIS pairing. The first 5 chapters are short and slow, I'm sorry, but relationships are built up. From chapter 6 onwards, I can tell you that each chapter will be lengthened 3 fold (from a measly 3, 4 pages to 10 + pages).

Anyways, I wanted yaoi and to make up for my lack of it, I have decided upon Sephiroth x Cloud x Leon/Squall, the hottest orgy EVER!

I don't believe in love at first glance (unless it's that destined kind of love) and this fic is going to fill in some of my views and opinions of the game.

I so can't wait until I get my hands on KH2. I shall squealeth.

Anyways, tell others about me/this fic and feed the review button wontcha? It's just to the left.


	2. I Know

**Rebirth**

**II: I Know**

* * *

He sat on the bed, slouching slightly as he gazed out the window. It was becoming brighter as the Sun began to peek over the horizon. From where he was, he could see Squall and Cid sparring. He felt a weak yet familiar rush of adrenaline surge through his veins but was too tired to do anything.

"Are you feeling okay?"

He allowed his eyes to rest on the young girl who brought in a tray of food.

"Fine," he said, looking out the window again. Cid could take a beating, but he was too slow. Squall was quick and his slashes were accurate. The older man would eventually have to concede.

"You must be feeling restless watching those two fight," Yuffie said as-a-matter-of-factly, setting the tray down onto a table. Cloud's eyebrow arched at that. Taking his cool silence as agreement, Yuffie nodded in satisfaction.

They continued to look outside. Squall tossed a towel to Cid. Their spar was over. As they walked back, the older man was chattering with a wide grin on his face, as though he had made a joke, patting the brunette's shoulder. The latter only gave a neutral response, causing Cid to frown.

Cloud was bored out of his wits. He had been spending the entire day in bed. He itched to get out and stretch his legs, but he had not yet recovered his strength completely. In this shady section of Traverse Town, strange shadowy creatures may suddenly appear and attack in staggering numbers. They downright _**forbade**_ him from leaving the room. He didn't take orders from anyone, but he guessed that it just couldn't be helped, considering they outnumbered him and all. Besides, he just felt too tired.

"Hey, who won?" Yuffie chirped as Cid and Squall entered the room. Cid frowned at that and pretended he didn't hear, even though it was too late. "Heh, got your butt kicked again, old man?" she asked with a cheeky expression. He growled, muttering that there was some fixing up he had to do with some gummi ship parts. He slammed the basement door behind him.

The young girl didn't bother hiding her amusement.

"That ole' pervert's goin' through some weird midlife crisis, huh?" she asked. Squall merely shrugged and drained a glass of water that was set on the kitchen counter. Cloud eyed them warily, wondering what on earth he was doing at that point in time.

That Yuffie was on her toes most of the time. She was usually whining on about something or the other, fingering through some romance novel or magazine when she lounged about the house. Vaguely similar to someone he knew. In all his years travelling, Cloud had never seen any girl as carefree as Yuffie.

Squall was a few years younger than him, according to Yuffie. She had gone on and on about how quiet and unassuming he was, and his skill with a sword and blah blah blah. He got tired of listening to her and just shut her out as he continued to gaze outside the window.

'Can someone really be as good as Yuffie says?' he wondered though, looking at Squall. She didn't strike him as someone who would lie or over exaggerate.

There was a frown on his face as he scanned the man, trying to see if there were any weak spots or hidden equipment or anything of the sort. Without doubt, Cloud knew that he himself had a strength built up over the years, being able to wield the Buster Sword as smoothly as he did. He wondered if Squall was a match for him, if he was able to fight on equal footing. Perhaps if he was, he would be able to help Cloud get back on his feet and train. He needed to get stronger, much stronger.

"Do you want something?"

Startled a little, the blond man looked up to see Squall looking back very levelly. His eyebrows furrowed a little; he didn't realize he had been staring.

"No," he replied flatly.

"I see. Get some rest."

"I don't need to be looked after like a child. I especially don't need some punk telling me what to do, either," he blurted out, perhaps a little too defensively.

Taken aback, Squall's eyes narrowed a bit. "Fine," he spat. "We don't need ungrateful weaklings telling us how to take care of them."

He turned on his heel and left.

Cloud scowled at Squall's back as he disappeared through the basement door. 'Rude bastard,' he thought. He heard a long sigh and turned his head to look at Yuffie.

"You don't have to be all uppity, ya know? He's just worried about you," she said with an enigmatic smile. His frown deepened.

"Worry about yourself."

She gave him a lopsided grin and leaned back against the doorway, as if accustomed to this kind of behaviour.

"I don't get why the two of you have to try and be so cool and macho," she said after a while. He remained silent.

"It never works."

She closed the door promptly behind her, leaving Cloud by himself.

* * *

Cid was a gummi ship expert. He was the best fucking expert alive. Well, he supposed that was because he was the _ONLY_ gummi ship expert alive. He scratched that thought. He was the best fucking expert _**EVER**_. Yeah. That sounded good.

He smirked a little, attaching a gummi block to the bottom of an engine.

"Stop doing that, you disgusting old man."

He frowned, eyes narrowing at the brunette that had stormed into his garage. Squall's face was tense, his eyebrows knitted in irritation. Cid wiped his hands on his shirt and stood up. Squall seemed almost angry, surprisingly. The older man was quite startled when he noticed that, though he didn't show it.

Why should he ruin the perfect chance to step on Leonheart's toes?

"You choked on some gyhsal pickles or something, Paul?"

Squall scowled, a rather interesting rasping noise issuing from his throat. "It's Squall," he snarled.

"Really?" Cid drawled, hiding his amusement beneath cold eyes, "You look so much like a Paul. Of course, the Paul I know is gay, so-"

"You," Squall interrupted, his eyes narrowing a little too dangerously, "don't want to _finish_ that sentence."

Although reluctant he was to admit it, Cid knew that the brunette meant what he said. However, he couldn't help the fact that he was getting kicks from this, and was prepared to pay the price... after having some fun, of course.

"Scared to come out of the closet, now, are we?" he goaded, a smirk crossing his features.

Before Squall could counter this impertinent statement, Yuffie threw the door open, carrying on a tray what seemed to be. . .

"Anyone want one?" she said brightly, offering the tray to Cid, who, was doubled over with laughter. She frowned confusedly at him before turning to Squall.

"What's wrong?" she asked, frowning. The dark-haired man in front of her was red with either rage or embarrassment. Maybe a mixture of both.

Without answering her, he stormed out, and Yuffie turned to Cid for an answer. "All I did was offer him some gyhsal pickles..." she began worriedly.

* * *

He noticed that those outlandish blue eyes were trained on him. He was tired of it, and most definitely annoyed at being ogled. Trying to be as civil as possible, he said as politely as he could, "Is there something you want?"

He didn't expect it to come out as sharply as it did.

"I don't have to answer to you," Cloud responded coolly, crossing his arms. Squall frowned at this, retorting, "What's your problem, Strife?" Evidently, he was still worked up over the encounter earlier that day. Cloud growled at him. "Don't call me 'Strife', _**Leonheart**_," he hissed.

The dark-haired man narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Don't forget who saved your _life_, macho-man," he said sarcastically, shooting Cloud a venomous glare. The blond glowered. Squall smirked in response. He knew that he had him cornered. After a moment, Cloud closed his eyes, regaining his bearings.

"Well then," he began, his voice airy, "I suppose I should thank you for that, Paul- I mean, Squall."

Watching the other man's face turn a deeper shade of red was something that Cloud would gladly trade all of his Gil for. It was his turn to smirk.

"I'd watch it if I were you," Squall growled.

"Watch what? My weight?" Cloud countered, "I apologize. I should feel sorry for you. After all, you're the one who nearly died fighting your _friend_. Though, of course, I don't know who you can call friend in the first place, so that's impossible," he spat.

"Then again, I don't expect to understand any pain or loss you feel from seeing _everyone_ you know and love being ripped away from you and dying before your eyes," the blond ended bitterly, eyes radiating with misery.

He became silent, which, in Cloud's opinion, was worse than if he had yelled at him. For what was one of the few times in his life, he was regretting what he said.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

The younger man turned around and let his hand rest on the doorknob. "I know," Squall said quietly and shut the door behind him.

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** I decided to make up for the crappy first chapter. I enjoyed writing these vocal spats between the two. This chapter could not have been completed without the Writer's Block therapy session that I held with my friend, Shawty.

Shawty, thanks. )


	3. I Understand

**Rebirth**

**III: I Understand**

* * *

"Would you please go talk to him already?" Yuffie asked, exasperated. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her voice held a tinge of impatience. The blond frowned. Squall had been unusually testy for the past 3 days, and Yuffie and Cid were getting the brunt of it. The dark-haired man had been avoiding and switching lookout duty that involved watching out for the house they were hiding out in, and seemed to be bent on avoiding Cloud.

He said nothing.

"Well, you obviously _did_ something! He has been steering clear of _you_ after all. The other day, he said he wanted to clean up the chocobo stable for me, rather than lookout. He was willing to wipe chocobo droppings, for God's sake! Do you know how disgusting that job is!" she cried, her fists clenched in frustration at his stony silence.

Cloud stared at her nonplussed, although inwardly, he was full of disbelief.

Was Squall really more willing to clean chocobo dung than come within 10 feet of him? His frown deepened at the thought.

"I swear, if you two don't make up soon, I'll. . . I'll. . . God's above, I'll stuff your rooms with chocobo dung and leave 'em to dry out! Better yet, I'll leave the damned chocobo in there to-"

Cloud stared at her. She was going hysterical. He'd better calm her down before she really blew up.

"Okay."

Yuffie stopped herself mid-rant, looking at him incredulously. "Is that a yes?"

He arched a brow. "Yes."

She blinked. "Wow, Cloud, I thought you'd-"

"Try not to stuff any dung under my pillow," Cloud interrupted smoothly.

"I'd like my hair to be manure-free," he said, flattening out the wrinkles from his cotton blanket.

Yuffie blinked again. Heat rose swiftly to her cheeks, and after a moment, she snapped.

"Gah! The both of you are just the same! I don't know why I even bother sometimes," she fumed, throwing her hands up in the air.

"If he's pissed off with you, he doesn't have to take it out on _us_, you know!" she glared at the blond.

"And unless you speak to him _civilly_, I'll make sure to stuff your mouth with chocobo poop too," she ended, her threat hanging dangerously in the air.

Cloud crossed his arms, a bored look on his face.

"Do what you want."

Frustrated with his holier-than-thou attitude, she stormed off, leaving him by himself.

He hadn't seen Squall in 4 days. Although he wouldn't dare admit it out loud, he was feeling a bit worried about the brunette's aloofness lately. Of course, Cloud did feel partly to blame for lashing out at the younger man days before, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it. Squall was avoiding him and he wasn't allowed to leave the room.

He exhaled slowly, turning his head to look out the window.

The Sun began to sink in the sky, drowning the world in a faint orange light. Streaks of red and yellow ran through the clouds, and buildings cast long, dark shadows along the streets of Traverse Town.

Squall stopped walking for a moment, looking up to the sky. A cool breeze was wafting through the town, messing up his hair a little. He wondered how long it had been since that fateful day; the day the Heartless came and swallowed Hollow Bastion in shadow. The day that everyone he knew drowned in the darkness. The day that he escaped to Traverse Town.

The day he found Cloud.

Just thinking about the state he had found Cloud in made his stomach churn. There was blood everywhere. The cuts in his body were so deep that his intestines actually spilled out. His body was cold and a deathly white, covered with bruises, and swelling in more places than he could count.

It was amazing that Squall himself was still alive, still breathing. He was unbelievably lucky. He had escaped a certain death with the aid of his friends. He wasn't alone in his fight. The dark-haired man felt an ounce of sympathy for the insufferable blond that he saved.

Squall had Cid and Yuffie. Cloud had no one.

A loud and hoarse cough came from behind him.

He turned his head only a little, allowing a small glimpse of the man from the corner of his eye. Squall looked at him levelly, maintaining this posture for a little while.

Cid scowled at the brunette's nonchalance. Nevertheless, he didn't take it to heart and said his piece anyway.

"So can we get drunk tonight or not?"

Squall raised his eyebrows.

Seeing the lack of any desirable response, Cid scowled further.

"Yeah, well, it's been 'bout 2, 3 weeks since we got to this place. Can't we celebrate or something? Ya know, for surviving as long as we did?" he prodded, his eyebrows knitting close together.

The younger man snorted, turned to face the front, and began walking once again.

"Aww shit, come _on_, Squall," Cid persisted, sounding more whiny than assertive. "We've been nothing but cautious ever since we got here! It's safer now! Live a little, man! I've finally got a goddamn **_fine_** reason to get smashed to fucking kingdom come so the least you can do is-"

"Hey, guys!" Yuffie chirped, noticing the two as she exited a shop, "Didja get the drinks like you were s'posed to, ole' man? I can't wait! This party's gonna be a blast!" There were big paper bags in her arms and a few plastic bags hanging from her elbows. Streamers and food packages jutted out from the articles.

Squall eyed the things in her arms, and turned to Cid, giving him a hard look.

The older man whose face was initially infuriated with Yuffie's bad timing now had a sheepish look, shrugging hopelessly in despair at the dark-haired man.

Letting out his breath with an impatient huff, Squall stalked off saying, "Do whatever you want," his voice tinged with irate vexation.

A few moments passed in silence.

The young girl gave a long sigh, her eyes a little downcast.

"What did I do now?"

* * *

The noise was loud. _LOUD_. It was unbearably thunderous and could have easily been mistaken for a flock of sexually frustrated, screeching flamingos that were high on cannabis and ecstasy, dancing with a handful of circus bears doing handstands and crashing into anything that was shorter than 5 feet. . . on Prozac.

It was _LOUD_. How he tolerated it, he never did guess.

"HEY THERE, **SHMEXAYYY**!"

Cloud winced. With much difficulty, he turned his head to stare at the entrance of his room. Cid was there, leaning against the doorway, a bottle in hand. The red on his face spread all the way to his ears. He had a stupid, lopsided grin, constantly broken up by high-pitched hiccups.

"Paaaaauuuullll. . . lemme-HIC-have anotherrrr. . ." slurred a feminine voice from the other side of the house. Things were falling over and small cracks and crashes could be heard. "Pweeeaaaseee. . .? Issnot like iss gonnaa make me-HIC-siiiiiiiick. . ." Yuffie whined, her arms waving heavily in the air as she (fallibly) attempted to pull at Squall's sleeve.

"You will be in the morning," the brunette said sharply, raising the alcohol high above his head, out of the girl's reach. She continued begging for the bottle, oblivious to the six-packs lying quietly on the table.

"You a'gonna lie there all day or what?" Cid demanded in his drunken stupor, waving his bottle in front of Cloud's face, causing some of the amber liquid to slosh out. The blond wrinkled his nose at that.

"Cummoooon. . . lesspartaaaaay. . !"

Without warning, Cid stuffed the bottle down Cloud's throat, causing him to choke as the beer emptied arbitrarily into his mouth. He sputtered and flailed, trying to get the older man _off_ him, but he was being overpowered easily. Apart from that, he _still_ hadn't recovered his strength yet, and this old man was a beast when intoxicated.

A heavy piece of metal connected with the back of Cid's scalp.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiii!" the man's inhuman yell echoed off the walls. "Sorry," Squall grunted automatically. "Y'hurt?"

Cid waved his hand dismissively. "Tha' wuzz th' lass rumm," he burbled, a burp escaping his lips. The brunette turned to look at Cloud, who was trying desperately to clear his throat. He was breathing a little heavy, a rough, raspy sound issuing from his mouth. Hesitant, the dark-haired man considered walking over to the blond and clapping his back a few.

"Ge-get off me, you old fart!"

Squall snapped out of it, realizing that Cid had clumsily gotten on his feet and slipped a hand through his shirt. His other hand was busy massaging Cloud's groin. Cid was groping the blond.

He wanted to do something, but froze. Cloud sounded so panicked. He felt a little fear gripping him.

Had this happened before?

Before he could find an answer, Yuffie knocked face first into his back, mumbling something along the lines of, "Whoopeeee. . . lookit th' purdy chocobosss. . . ." She dropped onto the ground, snoring loudly, her fingers loosely gripping the end of his jacket.

"No. . .! NO! Don't touch me! _Get off_!" the blond cried, his voice cracking slightly. His eyes were wide with something unreadable; a mix of misery, rage and shock. It was something that Squall didn't like. This guy knew something. The last fight he had was really bad. There had to be a reason he was as bad as he was.

Something wasn't right about Cloud Strife.

Something wasn't right about this situation either. Regaining his composure, the brunette gave the old man a swift punch and braced himself as Cid roared angrily, launching towards him. He was drunk, thank goodness, and his coordination was horrid. The dark-haired man managed to dodge the blows easily, and landed a few himself.

Unfortunately, Cid was built sturdy. From experience, Squall knew that the only way to knock him out was to allow him to wear himself to sleep. Thinking fast, the younger man dropped to the ground and launched a kick towards Cid's legs. He fell over, caught in a tangle of limbs.

Squall took both Yuffie and Cid by the collar and hurled them out of the room, swiftly barricading the entrance soon after. He knew that it wasn't sufficient to wear him out. True enough, a loud pounding from the other side of the door soon followed, Cid lashing out a string of incorrigible curses made unintelligible by the slurring of his drunken stupor.

Tired, Squall slid to the ground slowly, slouching over.

He stayed still, waiting for Cid to stop.

Seeing the door well fortified, Cloud let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. The brunette looked up, apparently only just realizing that he wasn't alone in the room. Their eyes locked. Squall didn't know what emotion he felt as he looked into those strange blue eyes. A sense of pity. A sense of loss. A bleak emptiness.

". . . Thanks. For getting. . . getting that guy off me," Cloud said quietly, wrapping the blankets tighter around himself, as though they would stop him from reliving the rough touches of the old man. The brunette remained silent, nodding a little.

". . . You were from. . . Hollow Bastion, right?"

Cloud looked at the younger man. He nodded slowly.

"What I said. . . yesterday. I was. . . pissed."

Squall nodded again.

"It's fine. I understand."

The blond propped himself up on the bed, against the wall, hugging his knees, trembling slightly. He could feel Sephiroth on him, sneering and mocking him. Touching him, just like Cid did.

". . . you couldn't save them. You saw them taken away in front of your eyes. . . but you couldn't do anything, right?"

The blond looked wearily at Squall before answering.

"Yeah."

Silence lingered for a moment.

". . . Umm, I, uh, I need to stay over for the night. S'ok?"

Cloud eyed the younger man, conceding defeat.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's fine."

Squall nodded for a final time, taking off his jacket and reaching for a pillow strewn on the floor. He fluffed it a little before laying it down on the carpet by Cloud's bed. Hecovered himself with themakeshift blanket. Before he closed his eyes, he looked at the blond one last time.

". . . Goodnight."

". . . Yeah, goodnight."

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter was done in three separate chunks. Sorry if it's not as smooth. Will promise to make the next one better, now that the boys have made up (in a really weird, silent, awkward way).

Anyways, I would like to specially thank BloodyRose666 and MiruSedna for deciding to categorize this story of mine under their favourites! Thanks for your support! I was feeling a bit blue since I only received 3 reviews, hehe.

Also, once again, I would like to give a super special thanks to my best friend Shawty who helped me produce this chapter. If it weren't for her, it wouldn't have sparked me to write the groping scene. Of course, that may not necessarily be a good thing! (Laughs)

Finally, I hope that you would please review! If it's not too much trouble, ask others to read and critique my work as well. And while you're here, in case you're not satisfied (as there isn't any smut **_YET_**) you can get a nice dose of boi-boi-wuv in **_Making A Deal_**, a oneshot I wrote to accompany the initial frustration of writing a yaoi fic without any yaoi in it yet!

Okay, I've talked for too much already! Review and spread the story 'round!


	4. I Try

**Rebirth**

**IV: I Try**

**  
**

* * *

There was something faint in the distance. A small glimmer through the endless darkness. A spire. The tip of the tallest tower peeked out from beyond the horizon.

_Hollow Bastion_.

His grey eyes widened. It wasn't possible. It _couldn't_ be possible.

Incredulous, he started towards it, towards his home. There was an overwhelming rush in his body. It looked so incredible, so _real_. It was untouched, whole in a sense; serene. It seemed as though nothing had happened at all; as if everything were back to normal.

He wanted to touch it.

He extended his hands to feel the rough, cold texture of the castle's wall. An eternity seemed to pass as he ran a finger through the ridges of the bricks beneath the overgrown ivy. _It was real_. His mind repeated it over and over again relentlessly. _It IS real_. He was trembling with happiness. Did this mean everyone was unhurt? He wanted to see them. He wanted to see all of them.

As his hand dropped to his side, shadows burst from the ground, rising up like flames from the deepest pit of hell. They stretched higher, creating a barrier of darkness over Hollow Bastion.

'No,' he thought in horror, as he was blown away by the sheer force of the shadows.

'_No_.'

He ran towards it, pounding his fists against the solid wall of shadow. From inside, he could hear shrill screams, and the timbre of the Heartless.

'**_No_**. Don't. This isn't real. This isn't happening. **_NO_**.'

Squall's eyes shot open. There was a patch of sunlight on his face, streaming in through the curtains. Blinded momentarily, he allowed his eyes to adjust to the bright light before glancing around.

'Must've rolled onto the floor.'

His mind groaned in response to his aching back. The floor was uncomfortable, cushioned only by a thin rug. This would have to be the fifth time already. Damn mattress. It was because it was cheap and limp that it kept depositing him to the ground.

Half asleep, Squall stood up clumsily and began to nestle under the covers. It was still warm; he must've slipped off only a few minutes earlier. The dark-haired man felt more than obliged to doze off once more. After all, the morning was still young.

In a split second, the brunette was held down tightly in a resilient headlock.

"What the **_hell_** do you think you're doing?"

Squall froze.

He was very much awake now.

Staring straight into a pair of irate baby blue eyes, the dark-haired man found himself feeling very uncomfortable with the imminence between their faces as a result of a self-defence move gone awry. He could feel a little heat rising to his cheeks, and immediately averted his gaze.

Sensing the younger man's discomfort, Cloud relinquished his grip.

Eyeing the brunette momentarily, he turned away. "Morning," Squall muttered quietly.

"Perverts, the whole lot of you," the blond grumbled in response, scowling.

* * *

He felt his entire body lurch. Gripping the porcelain white edges of the toilet bowl, a low rumbling began at the bottom of his throat, slowly making its way up. There was a long and tired groan from the couch. Yuffie's voice rose, moaning about the horrible pounding in the back of her head.

"Didn't I tell you about drinking too much last night?"

Cid didn't bother looking up from his position on the floor. He felt a jolt tear through his stomach and heaved. The young girl groaned louder over the noise the old man was making. Squall turned to her and said sharply, "Don't you _dare_ get any of that on the carpet."

She groaned once again in response, turning over on the couch.

Narrowing his eyes, he eyed them both before heading towards the kitchen to get some antacids.

Soon after, the two were lying limply on the couches, nursing their throbbing heads. Squall was busy cleaning up the kitchen, aiming to prepare a meal (as the medicine he gave them was to be eaten with something).

He waded through their food supplies, giving the cans and packages quizzical looks.

As far as he knew, the only thing Squall could fix was a sandwich. Even then, they were out of bread. He had considered running down to the store to get something, but thought better against leaving the house alone to 3 debilitated people. Conclusively, he resolved to make do with what they had.

There was some rice and a few leftover dishes from the night before. Fried rice it was, then.

Throwing the rice and the meat into the frying pan, he allowed his mind to wander to the dream he had.

Hollow Bastion. . .

He had never had that dream before. It was cold and strange, but so damn _real_. Watching the same scene unfold before his eyes again, watching himself unable to do anything or save anyone, it was all too cruel. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to get the memory out of his head, tried to clear his mind.

"God, what're you trying to do now? Burn the house down?"

Squall opened his eyes, staring at the blond who was leaning in the doorway. He supposed that he should've take that last comment as an insult, but the older man said it without any malice.

And he seemed to smell something burning.

He followed Cloud's gaze. An unsettling silence lingered as the blond glanced between Squall and the pan. The young brunette uncomfortably shifted his weight.

"Leonheart, step _away_ from the stove."

Scowling, he obeyed nonetheless, retreating to the corner of the kitchen as the older man examined his handiwork. Squall nearly cringed when he saw Cloud's eyebrows furrowing.

"You didn't use any oil. Do you even know how to cook?" he asked dryly, picking up the pan and dumping the black, charred contents into a nearby bin.

"I _try_."

"Go off. Make yourself busy. Yuffie looks like she's going to puke chunks any second now anyways."

At that, Squall sprinted to the living room as he heard a loud burp. He half-dragged the girl to the toilet, her groans muffled as she clamped a hand tightly over her mouth.

* * *

Squall stared at the plate before him.

It was quiet for a moment.

"My convalescence from the battle wounds didn't make me sick. Eating it won't make you catch anything," Cloud said, irritated.

The brunette nodded silently, hesitantly spearing a few pieces of pasta with his fork. He studied it briefly. It looked pretty normal, and it _did_ seem palatable but. . .

Cloud frowned andSquall conceded, taking a bite from the fork.

He stared at the dish.

It actually tasted _nice._

"Will you feed them already? I think they might get gastritis or something soon enough," he said finally, leaving the brunette by himself.

It was a little out of character to see him actually care for the two. At least, Squall thought so. He supposed that there were probably a variety of reasons behind his motive. Them being more annoying when hung-over was one. Them puking all over the floor was another. Maybe he just felt too lazy to clean up the house by himself.

'The house,' he groaned inwardly.

The house was, to cut a long story short, in an utter state of _chaos_.

Massaging the bridge of his nose slightly, he decided to take things one step at a time.

He eyed the old man and the girl wearily.

Squall picked up his fork and began eating swiftly, but chewed carefully so as to not get indigestion. Once done, he leaned back in his chair and sighed. Time to shove the rest of the pasta down the throats of Cid and Yuffie.

* * *

**A/N:** This was an interesting chapter to write. Cloud was basically making a peace offering, and. . . well, this was an interesting chapter to write.Next chapter will be up sometime next week.

A wonderful thanks to my good good friend, Shawty (or BeeAtina - not on f f . n et) for not only being a beta-reader (my tenses are _HORRIBLE_) but for contributing ideas and telling me if certain scenes were too silly. Oh, and to note, this would be FFVII Cloud and FFVIII Squall, so they may be OOC compared to their more stoic KH personas. I'll be getting there soon; not to worry. This is a pre-KH fic, after all. :)

Don't forget to review! I reply everyone's review! Reviews make my day!


	5. I See

**Rebirth**

**V: I See**

* * *

Dawn broke peacefully. The day before had been a massacre of sorts, making Cid and Yuffie clean the house. Feeling completely drained of energy, Squall realized that he had to get up and serve breakfast. He cursed inwardly, wondering if the rest were still asleep. If they were, as exhausted as he was, he was sure they wouldn't mind him having a lie in.

To make things worse, that idiotic blond refused to help out, declaring it 'menial labour' and that he was still recuperating. Squall had half a mind to wring him by the neck but thought against it, deciding that a more prolonged and excruciating experience would be more appropriate. That notion comforted him for a time; sustaining him as he patiently decontaminated the house with the drunks.

There was a thud from outside.

'Damn,' he thought crossly, kicking the sheets off. Stiffly trudging to the living room, an aromatic scent wafted from the kitchen.

He entered it to find a large plate filled with pancakes. Hot syrup was drizzled generously over them. His mouth watered at the sight. Filled with disbelief, he wondered if Yuffie actually got around to making meals even more palatable than before. She was a simple person, really.

Curiously, he walked towards Cloud's room. The door was slightly ajar. He peeked in and frowned, noticing that its state was much worse than the house had been the day before.

Stepping in, he found that their little patient was absent.

"That's my room, Leonheart."

Squall turned around to see Cloud raising his eyebrow. The brunette's gaze took in the man's dripping wet hair, the water glistening on his chest, and the damp towel wrapped – rather loosely, he noted – around his waist, showing off an expanse of skin slightly above his thigh.

"Oy," Cloud grunted and Squall ripped his gaze away from that teasing stretch of skin. He saw that Cloud was holding out a plate of pancakes, his expression gruff as ever.

"Wha-?"

"So that you don't poison yourself with your own cooking."

Blankly, Squall took the plate. "Thank-"

But he was already walking past him. Squall's eyes followed the line of Cloud's back, lingering on the towel.

Cloud halted, turning to look at the brunette.

"I need to change, if you don't mind."

Startled, his grey eyes widened just a little before he nodded and walked to the kitchen with his breakfast.

* * *

"He's out front."

Squall arched a brow.

"So?"

"Just thought you'd want to know," the aged man grunted in response, tightening a screw on the engine he was tuning up. "That spikey bastard's ripping himself apart; throwing that huge cleaver of his around the way he does."

Squall frowned.

"What?"

"He's training, that much I gather. What he's training with is downright fucking dense considering that he's still 'recuperating' or whatever shit he claims," Cid said cantankerously, rolling his eyes. "Do me a favour, will ya, and kick his ass for me when he asks you to be his sparring partner."

Squall's lips tightened. That blond was more trouble than he was worth.

A heavy blade slashed down through the air, cutting a lissom leaf into a near-symmetrical half. Breathless, Cloud dropped his arms heavily; sweat beading his forehead and drenching his thin cotton shirt. The veins on his arms stood out, outlining the contours of his weakened muscles. He was wearing light attire, given nothing more than house clothes from the others.

_Just a little more. . . Just a little bit more. . . To be stronger. . ._

He lifted the sword above his head, swinging down. His arms were searing with pain; a burning sensation surging through his limbs. It wasn't a feeling he was unaccustomed to, but it had been such a long time since he last trained himself; since he last felt this mad rush of adrenaline pumping through his blood. He swung the blade horizontally, breathing hoarsely as he attempted to keep the massive sword at a constant angle and keep it from dropping.

Something cold and wet and _hard_ smacked into the side of his head.

He lost his balance, falling over to his side with a strangled yelp.

"You're supposed to be _resting_, you idiot."

From his position on the ground, Cloud massaged the bump on his head, shooting a vehement glare at Squall.

"I was getting back into **shape**, _Leonheart_."

"Reopening your wounds, more like," the dark-haired man responded dryly. His frown was embedded deep on his face. '_Suicidal moron_,' he grumbled inwardly. If he was planning on doing something as _stupid_ as this, Squall should have just left him to rot at Hollow Bastion.

'_Then again_,' his mind mused, '_This might be the _perfect _chance for a little _**payback**.'

He was all for it.

Gripping his Gunblade, Squall gave it a nice, smooth swing, readying his arms for a little exercise.

"The hell d'you think you're doing?" Cloud asked wearily, eyeing the brunette. He had already gotten back to his feet, uncapping the bottle of cold water that the latter had so unceremoniously flung at him earlier.

"Yuffie calls it TLC."

". . . That is just so goddamn gay, Leonheart."

"Shut up. I'm just repeating what she said."

Squall frowned, wondering if the blond had taken any breakfast himself. He looked pale and haggard. The ridiculously large sword he was leaning on seemed to make him seem more fragile than he already was. Nonetheless. . .

"Let's see how much '_shape_' you're in, Strife."

Cloud could sense the malevolence practically _radiating_ from the brunette. Personally, his inner voice was telling him to reiterate his 'recuperating' excuse, and to scuttle back into the house to take a shower. Whatever training he had today would have to suffice, though he was raring to go against the impertinent brunette. In the state he was in, the younger man would whoop his ass, and that was just the kind of humiliation he wasn't willing to handle. Unless, of course, it could also carry the meaning of _profound humiliation_ for his would-be opponent. Hmm. . . A perfectly healthy and fit swordsman, losing to a recovering straggler.

Naturally, he just _had_ to go against his better judgement.

"I'll show what shape you _ought_ to be in, **kiddo**."

"Watch what you say, **old man**."

Cloud grunted. The _boy_ could waste his time trash-talking if he wanted to, but Cloud himself would rather go straight to business. Leaning back on his right foot, he crouched into a steadier stance, gripping his hilt tightly. His blond hair flopped over to slightly obscure his eyes, but he ignored it.

_Never shift your position unless your opponent attacks._ _It betrays your next move._

Squall seemed well-versed in that rule as well, as he stood perfectly stoic, his dark brown hair lightly blown about by the breeze. His sword was draped lazily over his shoulder, as if he was confident in his own ability.

_Go._

The unspoken word rang in both their minds, and at the same time Squall leaped, Cloud sidestepped his attack neatly, swinging his sword in a downward arc. Squall immediately lowered his body, twisting around and, grasping his sword with both hands, he slashed his sword upwards.

Cloud's reflexes did him proud, and he reached his left hand back, bringing his momentum with him. Squall's blade narrowly missed cutting him, and as he moved, he brought his hand up with a great deal of force.

There was a sharp, deafening _clang _of metal on metal as Squall parried his blow. His stance weakened by the position he was in and the strength of Squall's parry, Cloud's knees wobbled slightly, and Squall seized the opportunity, forcing the older man backwards onto his back with his Gunblade.

A slight shuddering in Cloud's arms encouraged the dark-haired male, who _grinned_ and pushed further. As tired as he was, a tiny smirk crept across Cloud's face. Something hard - Cloud's leg, presumably - slammed into Squall's own, and he stumbled, falling. Cloud was up on his feet in a flash, sweating, but triumphant.

Squall started to scramble up, but found something shiny, and very sharp touching the bridge of his nose. He heard Cloud's harsh panting, and could see the veins in his arms very clearly. He scowled, reaching up to push Cloud's sword away, but it wouldn't budge.

"The old man won, _Squall_."

"Feeling proud 'bout a guy going easy on an injured-"

"Shut up, Squall. You lost against a wounded man."

Squall hated that smirk. He really did.

With a final self-righteous look, Cloud threw his sword to the ground, stepping aside. Abruptly, he buckled, clutching his side. Gasping for breath, he squeezed his eyes shut and began to greedily suck in air. His entire body vibrated with unreciprocated adrenaline, the veins on his arms becoming more evident. The blond tried to stand up, but the burning sensation in his body and the utter exhaustion of his limbs caused him to drop back onto the ground.

Squall eyed him, wondering if he _really_ lost against someone so obviously weak and tired.

Eventually standing up, the younger man pulled Cloud to his feet and wrapped an arm firmly around his waist, his other hand clutching onto the Gunblade. He heard a soft murmur of thanks but said nothing, opting to maintain his silence as he brought the man back into the house.

* * *

"You _LOST_?"

Squall's eyes narrowed in irritation.

"He was _wounded_, for fuck's sake!"

Squall grunted in response, shifting the position of the Gunblade resting on his shoulder slightly.

Cid made a face, throwing his hands in the air.

"You bloody lost to a weak, pretty boy, _blond_, asswipe, cripple who couldn't even walk without Yuffie dragging his ass across the floor using a wheelbarrow! What kind of pathetic fuck _are you_!"

He frowned in response. The old man was starting to get on his nerves.

"You fucking **_lost_** against a bloody _pansy_ who couldn't even change his clothes without getting some dumb fuck to do it for hi-"

Cid was interrupted rudely by a hard, solid metal object that connected with his forehead.

He flew backwards.

"Are you quite done yet?" Squall asked dryly, the hand holding the hilt of the Gunblade still held out slightly. He wondered if Cid was getting a cracked skull after being hit on the head with the Gunblade's hilt one too many times.

Cid spat out a string of curses.

"Don't worry. Not like there are any brains to damage anyway," the brunette replied coolly, making his way out of the basement and back into the living room.

Cloud was sitting across Yuffie on the couch. He looked up at him, reasonably more invigorated than from the earlier fight.

"Ah, we have a slight situation, Squall," the girl said levelly, a grave expression plastered on her face.

The brunette raised his eyebrows in response.

"Some Heartless appeared today – not like it was anything I couldn't handle on my own, ya know? – Anyways, they _sort of_ made it to the pipes and fuse box so I kinda went after 'em and beat the stuffing outta them, throwing my shurikens and blasting them with a couple of spells; the usual drill, ya know? But before I could finish them off, they-" she paused a moment, giving him a sheepish look.

"Well, to keep a long story short-"

'_Too late_,' Squall thought grimly, but he didn't say a word.

"-we don't have any running water. _At all_."

He closed his eyes momentarily, allowing his mind to _carefully_ process the information he received one more time.

The room was quiet for a brief instant.

"How exactly did the water get cut off if you went after them?"

"Well now," she began, her voice unnaturally high pitched. "There's an interesting explanation behind that. . ."

Squall heaved a sigh.

"I don't even want to know. What's the bottom line?" he asked, frowning.

"Cid says it'll take him a couple of days to fix the main pipes," she responded with a quiet voice.

Yuffie nearly cringed when she saw Squall's frown deepen.

There was no way in hell that he would go on for a couple of days without taking a shower. Hell, he'd probably kick the others out if _they_ didn't take a shower daily, but that was besides the point. Hygienically, they were screwed.

Then again, there _was_ a bath house somewhere in town, but leaving the house by itself was dangerous. There were always at least two people keeping lookout whenever a third person had to run an errand. What more with the presence of a forth, and _injured_ person. This _was_ the shadier section of Traverse Town, after all.

Squall shifted his weight to his left foot.

Conversely, they _could_ take turns. Two people stay back while a third goes to the bath house. It would take a bit of time, but it was better than nothing. There. Problem solved.

'_What about Cloud?_' a voice at the back of his head asked.

His brows knitted together.

What _about_ Cloud?

He was still healing from his injuries (not like he was doing anything to help his healing rate), and it would only worsen his condition if he didn't take regular baths. He had to be kept in a clean, well-circulated room (not like he was doing anything to help _keep_ the room clean or well-circulated).

'_Basically, someone will have to bring him along to the bath house_.'

After the Cid-incident, he was sure as hell that the blond wouldn't appreciate having to get naked in front of the old man. And definitely not with Yuffie.

'_Damn_.'

"There's a bath house downtown. We take turns going. Cloud goes with me."

He could tell from the older man's expression that he liked that notion just as much as Squall enjoyed century eggs. _Yuck_.

"I take that I _am_ allowed to protest?"

Squall shot him an irritated look, but it just seemed to bore into his eyes.

"Unless you can withstand attacks from incalculable amounts of shadowy monsters by yourself for a couple of hours, then no; you can't."

He was pretty sure that Cloud wanted to give some smart-ass remark but he didn't bother to stick around and find out whatever it was. He headed straight to his own room to gather his toiletries. From what he could hear, he gathered that the blond followed suit soon after.

* * *

Steam filled the room, making moisture cling to his clothes. A strong, musky fragrance wafted through the air, causing him to feel a tad sleepy. Cloud frowned down at the small bucket of water that was thrust into his hands. Apparently, he had to share Squall's soap and shampoo. How. . . _gross_.

The trip to the bath house hadn't been all that bad. Cloud was actually glad to be able to get out of the house. They _were_ attacked by the strange shadowy creatures as the brunette foretold, but the monsters were cleared out soon enough. Leonheart's skills were. . . impressive, to say the least. Their walk had continued on in silence, the brunette acting as though the Heartless (as they were called) had never appeared.

Exhaling slowly, Cloud undressed, heaping his clothes haphazardly onto a messy pile on a bench.

His body was aching a little. The training this morning and the few battles they had on the way to the bath house proved to strain his body more than he would have liked. He was still weak. That would have to change. He'd have to make it change.

There was a big pool-of-sorts in the middle, filled with hot water. Squall was in a corner, slightly submerged. He had already lathered his body and hair with soap, and was enjoying the tranquillity of the empty building to himself.

He felt a slight splash.

Squall spared a glance to see the source of the ripples and frowned. He had forgotten the blond was there. On the bright side, he thought sarcastically, Cloud wasn't a loud-mouth like Cid or Yuffie; he was just annoying.

The older man started towards him, reaching for the soap. Squall unintentionally peeked at his body as he did so. Cloud had incongruously fair skin for someone who seemed to be outdoors most of the time. He had a well-defined body with toned abs. Some areas were blue and black, the swelling still not completely healed. There were cuts and bruises scattered across his form, a particularly long incision slicing from his side all the way across his stomach.

'_How many stitches did I have to help sew?_' Squall wondered to himself, a chilling feeling beginning at the pit of his stomach.

"Are you quite done staring?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, looking straight into a pair of irate blue eyes. What the hell was he doing? Did he just. . . was he just. . . Did he get _caught _ogling at another guy's body. . ?

'_What the hell is the matter with you lately, Leonheart?_' he asked himself wearily.

He followed Cloud's gaze and passed him the small bucket from beside him.

"Are any of your wounds healed yet?" Squall asked quietly, eyeing his injuries.

Cloud paused for a moment, frowning at the brunette. He supposed that he could have dismissed his prying as being nosy, but he supposed that he _did_ owe Squall something. He had, after all, saved his life.

"Some of them aren't even from the fight," Cloud replied nonchalantly.

Squall responded only with silence. Looks like there was no way to reach any mutual understanding with this man. He retreated back to his corner, washing his face with the warm water.

"I used to be a soldier. Got into a lot of fights. Some of the wounds aren't really that bad," Cloud said abruptly, breaking the silence. Squall eyed him quietly. "Nothing to be worried about. I'm recovering. I know my own body better than anyone else," he reaffirmed.

". . . I see."

"Yeah, well, that's how it goes," Cloud said, trying his best to block out a part of his mind that was mocking him for being such a hypocrite. '_Sephiroth. . ._' It said. '_Sephiroth_ _knows your body better than **you** do. . ._'

"As long as you get better."

Cloud looked at the younger man, startled.

"There are things that you still need to accomplish, right? Just make sure you don't kill yourself before that time comes," Squall explained patiently.

"Yeah. You too."

* * *

**A/N:** Okay... this chapter came a little later than I initially planned, but it came out pretty well. My previous chapters were pretty boring and the plot has been going mind-numbingly slow, but I assure you, things will start to heat up now that Squall starts to show interest. Trying to make this as real as possible. Typing this at 4:31 a.m. What on earth am I doing?

Anyways, thank you for all those who reviewed. Special thanks to Shawty/BeeAtina for taking over the keyboard when she saw the words 'spar' and 'fight' on the monitor. I was too lazy to write the fight scene myself, anyways. (This is why I suck and she doesn't.) Thanks! (She didn't beta this chapter though... Sorry for any bad English.) Why can't an exclamation mark and a question mark be placed side-by-side? _Why_? FFnet's format sucks forever and always.

Coming up with a (graphic) yaoi fic sometime soon. Seph x Cloud and Squall/Leon x Cloud. You guessed it, to _release_ frustration of the lack of yaoi.

The usual drill. Review, please? I have 800+ hits but only 11 reviews... I tell you, nothing motivates an author more than reviews!

Next chapter will be posted once I, err, find something to write about. Maybe sometime in the second week of Feb. Maybe.


	6. I Will

**Rebirth**

**VI: I Will**

* * *

An empty darkness stretched through the horizon. It was void and cold, a bruising wind frosting his skin. He had never seen it before, but the locale was unsettlingly familiar in a vague, hazy way. He turned, only to be met with the same, blank expanse. There was nothing at all. The sky and ground blended together with the same bleak shade of black.

"Nice to see you again, _Cloud_."

His body stiffened.

Turning his head slowly to face the figure, Cloud felt his heartbeat hammering in his ears. His brows knitted together, his fists clenched so hard until he couldn't even feel his fingers anymore.

"_You_."

That laugh. He hated that laugh. It was mirthless and cold -- not really like a laugh at all -- and it echoed loudly, ringing repeatedly in his ears. He despised that smug outlook, the gentle tugging at the corner of his mouth, the none-too-easy stance; he loathed _everything_ about the man.

"_We_," he drawled, lingering on the syllable, "are so much more familiar than that, my sweet Cloud." He paused, widening his smirk. Cloud's eyes narrowed dangerously in response. "Surely you could humour me and say my _name_, at least."

"_Fuck you_," he hissed vehemently.

The smirk widened yet again. The tall silver-haired man stepped towards him.

His insides churned. He wanted to raise his fist; give him a nice square punch to the jaw. Pent up emotions were swirling and rising rapidly inside him, threatening to explode at any given time. He stood there, glaring at Sephiroth.

He couldn't _move_.

Cloud was used to this by now, though. That paralysing helplessness that overwhelmed him was what Sephiroth enjoyed the most through his cruel amusement. When he was awake, all he did was fight; fight to become strong enough to defeat him. When he was asleep, all he did was dream; and even then, Sephiroth plagued and ruled it, manipulating the blond to his utter whim and fancy.

Cloud could not even control his dreams.

And these 'dreams' that he had, they were _real_. They were so _genuine_. All of it. . . _hurt_. They tormented his mind and body; affecting him worse than the fight that he was forced to endure. The fight that cost him so much. His powerlessness, made _worse_ by the knowledge that no matter what happened, he could never reach out or save anyone again. He couldn't hope for warmth, or laughter, or even _happiness_.

Cloud didn't deserve any of it.

Instead, he allowed himself to be punished in this way; allowed Sephiroth to play with his mind and toy with his body so that the hatred would build upon his sorrow, and the odium would be enough to defeat all the nightmares that beleaguered him. He took in the humiliation and the insults as a reminder of his sin; of his weakness.

And once he was strong, he _would_ kill Sephiroth with his own hands.

A slender finger traced an invisible line from his chest to his collar bone. Cloud glowered in response, unable to do anything. Sephiroth's touched were light and fleeting; deceiving. They misled him, lulling him into a false sense of security before tearing everything away from him before his very own eyes.

He _hated_ Sephiroth so much that it hurt.

"Ah. . . ever since you came to this strange new town, I haven't been able to enjoy myself as much as I wanted to," he whispered, his husky voice caressing Cloud's ears. The blond trembled involuntarily, but remained vigilant in his stony silence. Sephiroth's eyes flashed, an unreadable expression boring into Cloud's gaze.

He halted for a moment, an instance of silence taking over. Cloud almost believed that the silver-haired man was backing off.

It would not be so.

Sephiroth pushed him down roughly, ripping off the flimsy fabric that clothed him. Cloud dropped to the floor like lead. His limbs were heavy, unable to move. Sephiroth was on him in an instant, straddling his hips. Torturously slow, Sephiroth made it a great point to make Cloud watch as he undid the blonde's clothes piece by piece. He allowed his hands to stray, taking in the tenderness of the younger man's skin. He planted soft, light kisses that trailed from his stomach downwards.

Cloud felt so much shame, so much anger swelling inside him. He squeezed his eyes shut as a hot, lingering tongue traced along the line of his pelvis; cursing inwardly as he felt himself getting more and more aroused.

Sephiroth smirked.

"Didn't you say you were planning to kill me once you were stronger?"

"I **_will_** kill you, you bastard," he managed to whisper out venemously, his voice eerily controlled.

He seemed amused, licking just a little lower before raising himself a little.

"Cloud. . ."

Sephiroth had a warm hand wrapped around his growing erection, giving it a tight squeeze.

"Say my name."

Cloud attempted to stifle a moan, only bits of it rolling out.

"Cloud. . . "

He began to writhe, sure that bruises would form on his forearms from Sephiroth's iron grip. His breath had started to become ragged, uneven. The older man's warm breath caressed his skin, sending a strange tingling sensation all over. . .

"**Cloud!**"

His eyes shot open, staring straight into a pair of concerned grey eyes.

Sweat beaded his forehead, drenching his clothes. Images flashed through his mind at such a dizzying rate, he felt like a watermelon had crushed head on into his skull. Squall was sitting by him, his hands firmly gripping Cloud's shoulders. He had been attempting to shake the blond awake moments earlier.

"Are you okay?"

Cloud bit his lower lip, regulating his breath. He took Squall's hands, gently getting him to relinquish his grip.

". . . I'm fine."

Eyeing Cloud wearily, he decided to let it be and stood up, informing him about something or the other. Cloud wasn't really listening, dumbly nodding to whatever the brunette had mentioned. The dream was all that he was thinking of. Squall noticed it; Cloud's absentmindedness. He decided that he shouldn't push the matter.

Cloud was grateful for it.

* * *

"What the **_hell_** was that!"

Squall looked up from the book he was reading.

"What the hell was what?"

A pair of blue eyes glared furiously in response.

Squall had to say that he was caught off guard. He had never realized how they. . . _glowed_. It was very strange, very interesting. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before, and they certainly made him. . . curious.

"_The Heartless outside the house_."

Squall arched a brow.

"They attack us, though they've never ventured this close before. I _did_ tell you this morning, but you seemed a little too preoccupied."

Cloud cursed under his breath, flopping onto the couch.

He just couldn't resist.

"I take you had a pleasant run-in with the Heartless during your training?"

"Didn't even have the bloody time to train. Got jumped by the _entire army_ as soon as I _stepped out the bloody door_."

Squall raised both his eyebrows, dropping his gaze back to his book. Cloud scowled in response, but said nothing, opting to lie on the couch until he found something better to do.

The door slammed open, revealing a fatigued Yuffie. She staggered in, slouched over, lugging a big sack. She gave the two tired waves before collapsing on the couch opposite Cloud. The sack lay at her feet, opened slightly. From what he could tell, there was some food and a few everyday supplies that they had run out of.

"Heartless got to ya, huh?"

Cid was in the doorway that led from the basement. Yuffie eyed him wearily.

"You have no clue, old man," she replied gravely.

He snorted in response, not bothering to answer. She had a rough day; that much he could tell. Unlike other morons he knew, he wasn't a jackass. He knew his limits. Hell, he knew everyone else's limits. Thos Heartless weren't worth much, but _damn_ if they didn't have strength in numbers. He chewed on the edge of his cigarette thoughtfully.

Which is why he just had to say it.

"So much for being a 'Great Ninja'. Can't even handle a few hundred Heartless without getting all beaten up, ya pansy."

He ducked as a pillow sailed through the air.

"I'm **not** appreciating any TLC from **you**, you old geezer!" she threatened loudly, shaking a tired fist in the air without getting up from her position. She just lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling, catching her breath.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," he smirked in satisfaction, grabbing the sack and heading for the kitchen. She muttered something about Squall rubbing off him, but was duly ignored by the others.

After a moment, Yuffie abruptly sat up, giving Cloud a hard look.

". . . What?"

She blinked a little, rubbing her eyes.

"You went for training as usual, right? I don't see a scratch on you. Those Heartless pounded me even when I was at the gate!"

"I didn't get the chance to. There was a swarm right outside. . ."

But she had already gotten to her feet, striding briskly towards him. She nudged him to the side of the couch. He scowled slightly, but complied. Yuffie began scrutinizing him, inspecting every inch of his exposed skin thoroughly.

"No injuries?"

"No."

"Not even a bruise?"

His brows knitted together, his scowl deepening.

Yuffie frowned, pulling up his sleeves and looking at his arms.

Squall had casually glanced over the book he was reading, to make sure the girl didn't go overboard or anything. His eyes flitted over the well-toned muscles Cloud had built up. It always struck him as peculiar that someone so strapping and brawny was fair. If Squall hadn't known better, judging from the tone of his skin, he would have assumed that Cloud rarely stepped out of the house.

"You never know. You were beat up pretty bad. Just checkin' to make sure you don't get any worse."

Squall was snapped away from his musings. He set the book down on his lap calmly, a finger wedged between the pages he was reading, bringing his free hand up to massage the bridge of his nose.

Yes, something was _definitely_ wrong with him.

"Ouch, those look _painful_. Tell me those didn't come from a fight!"

Squall raised his gaze to see whatever it was Yuffie was clambering on about.

He and Cloud both stared at the strange bruises on the latter's forearms.

Quiet for a moment, Cloud gently tugged Yuffie off of him. He massaged his forearm, an unreadable look on his face. Squall felt something wrench the pit of his stomach.

". . . It was a fight-of-sorts, I suppose."

Cloud had looked away, somehow unable to face the ninja in the eye. That overwhelming sense of shame began to fill him, making him feel completely miserable. He felt humiliated. He didn't know why, but he decided that it was _wrong_ to make others worry over things that happened to him that he couldn't even prevent. It pained to _know_ that he couldn't even fight back.

His eyes locked with Squall's.

"_Are any of your wounds healed yet?"_

"_Some of them aren't even from the fight."_

At that moment, he couldn't help but wonder if all that Cloud told him was a hundred percent true. There had been an honest quality to it; that he had to admit, but. . . Something wasn't right about Cloud Strife. And him not being trustworthy was going to give lots of problems in the long run.

Cloud must have come across Squall's train of thought, immediately averting his gaze until Yuffie was done mothering him.

Squall's lips tightened to form a firm, thin line. He was resolute.

Something wasn't right about Cloud Strife. And he was going to find out exactly _what_.

* * *

The sword swung in a smooth arc. It was flowing, controlled; reminiscent of a flowing river, unbarred by rocks or driftwood, constantly moving. Even when you closed your eyes, you could hear the lapping of the water as the blade moved, honed throughout the years. Cool water washing through the stream, ripples that flowed with the current; wispy like the wind.

In an instant, the sword struck forcefully, swiftly. It was like fire; strong, powerful, unyielding. Drawing quick blows and parries, the blade sliced the air; sliced the wind. You could hear a faint whistling, as though the sword had slashed airstreams in half. Backwards, forwards; in a haunting motion. The sword was so quick, only the brief glinting of steal could be seen.

It was like an intricate dance. A deadly, beautiful dance.

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as he observed Cloud training, Squall couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by his sheer skill with a blade.

Especially a blade as ridiculously large as the one he was wielding.

'_He'd be devastating with anything lighter and sharper_,' the brunette thought grimly.

Unconsciously, he gripped the hilt of Gunblade. He felt humbled by the blonde's display of expertise. He now felt that Cloud's win was justified. His abilities were not something of talent or luck. There was no such thing as one who was naturally gifted to master a craft. Cloud's was the result of the toil of sweat and blood of training for countless years. The scars and mark embedded in his skin were testimony of this determination. Someone so young. . . possessing a power so great.

Squall respected Cloud.

His body tensed as the blond keeled over in exhaustion, grasping his sides. Cloud had been battling off the Heartless, constantly switching between his techniques for the sake of training. He was putting back into practise everything his body had begun to forget after inactivity for weeks. His instincts were honed in such a way that they could not ever falter. His body had grown weak, he could see that clearly enough during their fight together. Even by watching, Squall could feel adrenaline rushing through his veins.

As the shadowy creatures swarmed him, Cloud focused his energy into one swift blow. They had already brought him down onto his back. He packed power into his swing, stabbing his sword upwards. It stuck out like a sore thumb from among the black of the Heartless, and abruptly drooped down to an angle. Quickly, expertly, Cloud began spinning the blade with both hands, causing a small tornado-of-sorts to cut and blow away the monsters.

Squall's eyebrows rose.

Impressive.

The blond got back up onto his feet, clenching and unclenching his left hand. His knuckles had turned white; his hand must be sore. Squall mused quietly, his expression softening only a little, turning into. . . enthusiasm. He did not flaunt it, but he leaned forward, arms still crossed. The brunette was eager to see how else Cloud would react and attack.

Cloud was bending over slightly, panting violently. One hand clutched his side whilst the other gripped his sword. The Heartless were scattered, all seeing stars.

Irritated for some reason or the other, Cloud took the sword in both hands and began squishing the monsters in the head one by one.

"Take. . . that. . . you. . . bloody. . . fuckers. . ."

Squall arched a brow incredulously.

Unexpectedly, Cloud dropped himself to the ground, giving a row of Heartless a sweeping kick, sending a few flying. Steadying himself with the sword, he slashed it horizontally, slicing about 20 odd Heartless in half. He threw his body upwards, hacking at a few that had launched themselves in the air.

That was. . . very sudden.

Squall frowned a little.

That was some unpredictable skill the blond possessed.

This idiot really _was_ planning on getting himself killed.

* * *

"Don't you think he's gonna hurt himself, Cid? He's been going out like that for nearly a week already!" 

The old man gave her a pointed look, sparing a glance out the window at the younger blond.

"I think he's just fine. Gimme that damn box."

She passed something to him. There was a little rattle inside.

"Oof. . .! Heavy!"

She staggered a little, but he grabbed it just in time.

"You need more muscles, you little weasel."

She rolled her eyes, turning back to look through the window.

"He's still healing, Cid."

He grunted in response.

"I mean, I don't _mind_ him training and all – a guy's gotta get stronger – but there are just _too many_ Heartless. . ."

Cid grunted again. She gave him a dirty look, suppressing the urge to throw something at him.

"I ain't going out _there_ again to drag his corpse back, ya old man."

He paused a moment, quirking a brow, his mouth upturned in his usual scowl.

"Squall'll take care of him fine."

Yuffie looked puzzled.

"He's right outside there, the frickin' pansy. You think a guy'd have more balls when it came to taking care of '_recuperating_' assholes."

Cid rolled his eyes.

Yuffie grinned.

"I think it's cute."

Cid's scowl deepened.

"You can think?"

He ducked in time as a shoe and a couple of cushions began flying through the air in his general direction.

* * *

"Come on."

Cloud looked up, startled. Just in time, he punched a Heartless with the hilt of his sword.

"You don't want to beat up shadows all day, do you?"

Cloud's lips tightened into a thin line, his brows knitting together.

He straightened his back a little, easily slashing a few Heartless as he turned to gaze into those stormy grey eyes.

"What did you have in mind?"

* * *

They made their way through Traverse Town in silence. They didn't have anything better to say, their relationship slowly bypassing that of acquaintances and settling into something a little more comfortable. Mutual understanding. That was what they had. It was easy and bearable. No need for prying questions. Cloud had nothing to ask, and Squall had nothing to say.

Their silence was in fact, almost companionable.

They were forced to exterminate a few more Heartless on the way. Traverse Town had its fair share of monsters, after all. Squall had been quick enough, clearing the way before Cloud could even begin attacking.

Ultimately, Squall stopped in front of a small opening. He grunted, nodding towards it before snaking in. Unfazed, Cloud followed suit, carefully pulling in his own sword.

"This is a waterway I happened upon a few days ago. Secret, if you will."

Cloud arched a brow.

A secret hideaway? A little immature for someone of such charisma.

"Oh? And what gives me the great honour of gracing this Secret Waterway?"

Squall rose his eyebrows sardonically.

"Thought that an injured man would like to train undisturbed by an infinite number of Heartless."

Cloud's lips tugged upwards just a little, giving the brunette a strange yet pleasant surprise. '_It seems the ice statue has a heart, after all_,' both thought in unison.

"Got tired of practising your sword swings by yourself? How childish," Cloud remarked, his eyes glinting cheekily. Squall snorted in response.

"Been wondering how someone recovering could lug a sword that big around," Squall blurted out.

Cloud's eyes widened, unsure whether the person speaking before him really was Squall Leonheart.

"What I mean to say is," the dark-haired man began hastily, staring at the ground as if an explanation would reveal itself to him. He frowned. He was never one apt at social interaction. It wasn't his fault that he was unsure of how to respond in. . . in. . . in _these_ types of situations. He felt like a child, trying to impress someone. Squall felt heat rise to his cheeks, somehow trying to suppress the blush that threatened to mar his complexion.

"That's fine. Don't need to waste the precious few brain cells you have by thinking," Cloud replied, amused.

Squall knitted his brows together, his rich baritone voice acerbic.

"Whatever."

Cloud shook his head, chuckling inwardly. Squall seemed like a pretty interesting guy.

The blond began stretching, warming up properly. The younger man paused, looking on. He gazed at the older man's rippling muscles, well-defined and firm. Cloud noticed, but didn't bother to respond, merely finishing up his exercising before he reached for his sword.

Their eyes met.

And they came to a silent, undisputed agreement.

They took their battle stances, similar to their skirmish from before. Whatever he saw from Cloud's earlier fight, Squall had observed and absorbed his tactics, raring to go against him with all his mettle. They had a strange, calm disposition; each man somehow respectfully acknowledging the other. No name calling, no trash talking. This was all for real.

_Go_.

* * *

A grunt.

A pair of deep grey eyes looked up, homing in on a familiar figure.

'_Didn't see you this morning. Figures you'd come here._'

Before the words could be spoken, he shrugged nonchalantly, dropping his gaze back to his sword.

Cloud frowned in response, but he let it be. Weeks had already passed, all in the same fashion. Everyday they had the same conversation. Everyday they exchanged the same greetings. It had been mechanical. It had been _memorized_. Squall didn't even bother waiting for the older man to mention him not being around for breakfast. He just sat on the ground, cross-legged, every morning, leaning against the wall of the cave.

Cloud often wondered if it meant that their seemingly patching 'relationship' was beginning to fray as it had in the beginning. He shrugged it off, picking up his sword.

He began swinging the sword in great arcs, bringing them down hard, yet in a smooth movement. It was something like wood; like trees. Calm, and gentle, but hard and obstinate. Squall stopped polishing his sword, just to look at the blond. He was always intrigued when Cloud began to practise these techniques.

Unconsciously, he began to gather data. Cloud tended to rely on his right swing heavily, leaving his left foot vulnerable for attack. When he stabbed downwards, his back became wide open. If Squall were to slash straight, he could easily manoeuvre out and counter-attack. No. . . he would have to attack from above.

"Does it have a name?"

Cloud blinked, paused in mid-swing.

Squall himself blinked, mentally kicking himself. Cloud eyed the brunette for a moment before setting his sword down on the ground, leaning against it easily.

"What has a name?"

The dark-haired man remained silent, staring at the large sword before dropping his gaze to the floor. He hadn't a clue on what to say or do.

"Buster Sword. Its name is Buster Sword. It was a gift."

Squall looked up straight into the blonde's eyes. He paused before nodding.

"Yours? Looks like it can shoot bullets or something. That's a nasty combination."

Squall looked down at his own sword, a miniscule smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he gazed fondly at the lion's emblem. He had had his Gunblade for as long as he could remember. Its proper name was Revolver, but he just kept at calling it Gunblade. It sounded more appropriate, anyways.

"Gunblade. Trigger releases shockwaves instead of bullets."

Cloud let out a low whistle.

"Impressive."

Squall scratched his nose awkwardly. He was a little hesitant to respond, and coughed lightly instead, trying to keep a blush from forming. He ran a hand through his hair. He had. . . strangely enough, come to _respect_ Cloud. He was. . . strong and. . . charismatic. He had Yuffie and Cid at his every beck and call, without even having to waste his energy convincing them that it was good for them in the long run. He was calm (most of the time), and he was pretty damn smart compared to the other two, and he could cook (. . . annoyingly enough) and. . . well. . .

Squall just knew that he wanted Cloud to have a higher opinion of him.

The brunette sighed softly.

He was acting like a goddamn _girl_.

"Can I try it out?"

Squall wasn't sure if he had heard it right at first. He blinked, looking up at the blond quizzically. Maybe he just misheard. There were airstreams in the waterway as well. The wind could have just fooled his hearing.

Cloud raised his eyebrows.

"Am I supposed to take your silence as a 'no'?"

"Uh," he started, a little panicked. He shook his head hastily, hoping to clear his mind a little.

What the hell was he supposed to _say_?

Squall wracked his brain, thinking up a suitable response that wouldn't make a complete fool of himself. He wasn't exactly _comfortable_ with someone else using his sword. The Gunblade wasn't a toy, and it sure wasn't easy to use. But saying 'no' would come off as. . . he didn't know, '_cold_'? Saying 'yes' would be fine and dandy but. . .

He gave up.

". . . Whatever."

Cloud brightened considerably, his cool mask never slipping, striding towards the younger man and setting down Buster Sword gently into his lap. Squall winced a little as the enormous weight pulled him down, grunting as he tried to grip it.

He struggled a little, unused to the inexplicable weight, but managed to let it on the floor partially.

Squall heard a sharp whistling. He glanced up, eyes widened in awe.

Cloud was trying out all his techniques with Gunblade, swinging it smoothly before packing his power and thrusting it. It was. . . breathtaking. He had never seen Gunblade swing or attack so fast before. He could barely even _see_ the blade. It was like an invisible sword; it could only be heard and felt, but it just couldn't be _seen_.

Cloud stopped for a moment, regaining his grip on the sword.

"It's pretty light. Nice and sharp."

The blond started using a few combo attacks he had cooked up from watching Squall train. He spun the sword in the air, rolling across the ground and striking out in swift, fatal blows. He brought it along the ground for a heavy attack, causing sparks to lick into tiny flames as he attacked and (amazingly) sliced a rock into a symmetrical half.

Abruptly, he stopped, gripping his wrist.

The trigger had backfired on him. His arm felt a little numb, an after effect of the shockwave.

"Not so good with it," he grunted simply, gripping the sword with his left hand as he attempted to regain feeling in the fingers of his right.

If Squall hadn't been so disciplined when it came to displaying emotion, he was sure that his jaw would have hit the ground, his eyes as wide as saucers.

Cloud. . . Cloud, he. . . Cloud _sliced_ a bloody stone. In half. With _Gunblade_.

His eyes had widened considerably, his lips slightly parted.

The speed. . . the _power_. . . he couldn't even keep up with his attacks. If all his training with Buster Sword could make him _this good_ on Gunblade, Squall wondered vaguely if his skill on Cloud's own blade would be able to compare.

He shook his head. There was no way in hell he could handle a sword as monstrous as Buster Sword.

"Ey, I wonder how you'd do with mine. Wanna give it a swing?"

Squall dropped his gaze to the sword on his lap.

'_Oh, what the hell. . ._'

* * *

A cloaked figure slinked stealthily through the shadows, darting through alleyways. Shivering, the person ran when the shrill timbre of the Heartless started from behind her. Racing blindly through the dark streets, the figure, too exhausted to stay and fight, kept running. Wounded brutally, bleeding and incapacitated, staying to fight such staggering numbers was a most certain death wish.

Running. . . running. . . unable to stop. . . pain. . . fire. . . searing through the lungs. . . running. . .

A dead end. Dart out before you get cornered.

Run. . . faster. . . _faster_. . .

Trip. Stand up. Stand up and _run_. Get to your feet and never stop. . .

A scream.

* * *

With a final slash, the last of the Heartless fell.

Squall sheathed his sword, making his way to the house. As a hand loosely gripped the handle of the door, he could hear worried voices chiming in from inside.

"It's okay. Calm down. You're safe."

"If-if you and him are here. . . Cloud. . .! Where is he? Is he safe? . . . Is he alive. .? It-it. . if you. . .I'm so glad. . . you're-you're. . . you're _alive_. . . I'm so. . . so. . . happy. . . th-they. . . dead. . . the rest. . . shadows. . . monsters. . . shadows. . ."

The figure was sobbing uncontrollably, tone heavily tinged with fatigue.

"Now listen here, you've gotta calm down! We know, the Heartless attacked you, didn't they? Don't you worry. . . you'll be safe. Right, Cid?"

"Yeah, pipe down will ya? No Heartless is gonna hurt ya in this place. You're fine."

He heard a shuffle from behind him. He spared a glance past his shoulder, nodding slightly at the blond.

Cloud raised his brows, silently enquiring. Squall shrugged in response.

The voices inside grew desperate, bordering hysterical.

"No. . .! You don't-don't understand!. . . Why can't you. . . Why don't you. . . Cloud. .! I need to see him. . . He's in danger. . .Trouble. . .! I n-need to. . ."

"H-hey! Don't run! There're Heartless outside! Hey!"

The door burst open, a cloaked figure lunging out. Squall's arms were already outstretched, catching the person as the momentum caused them both to stagger a little.

Long black hair flowed, a little dishevelled, as a pair of light brown eyes scanned the people in front of her, surprised. She gripped Squall's arms shakily, looking past him and staring straight into a pair of cool, blue eyes.

Cloud nearly gawked.

". . .Cloud!"

She pulled herself out of Squall's grasp and ran towards the blond, his eyes burning with something unreadable as they met in a tight embrace.

". . . Cloud. . .y-you. . .I'm so glad. . . so, so glad. . . you're. . . you're ali-"

"Shh. . . It's fine. I'm here now."

She calmed down steadily after listening to his soothing words.

"Did the Heartless do this?" he asked quietly.

She nodded into the embrace.

"Cloud. . ." she whispered. ". . . Why. . .? Why don't they. . .?"

Cloud's heart shrank as he realized what she was talking about. His grip around her tightened.

"Why don't Cid. . . or Yuffie. . . why don't they know me. . .?"

He was silent for a while, thinking of what was most appropriate to say.

". . . They don't know me either, Tifa."

* * *

**A/N:** Ah. . . I have decided on a stable 10+ page per chapter. I know I've beencruel bitch, posting only 3, 4 pages per chapter when nothing was going on. Hahaha, anyways, I will steadily be providing long chapters from now on! I promise!

Oh, and the yaoi fic is pretty long. Won't get it done for a couple days. It's about half done. Getting there, getting there.

Last but not least, I would like to thank those who kindly took the time to review while others just flippantly read and ran. It's a little sad for me, but life goes on. I am a Cloud x Leon/Squalland Leon/Squall x Cloud **_WHORE_**. I swear, this morning, I was up until 5 a.m. just reading CLC fics. There just aren't enough of them **DAMMIT**!

Oh, and review!


	7. I Believe

**Rebirth**

**VII: I Believe**

* * *

"She needs rest."

"She can stay in my room."

Cloud paused a moment, his eyes darting to the right to meet Tifa's.

Of course.

"No. She can have my bed. She. . . needs me by her side tonight. I'm stronger than before. I'll be fine."

Yuffie shifted her glance between them uneasily. Cid was chewing on the edge of his cigarette, a frown embedded on his face. Her eyes rested on Squall's contemplative gaze. His brows were knitted together, deep in thought; pondering the decision to allow a strange woman to sleep together with a man _in_ the man's room. Not that Cloud was a lecherous man; of course not.

. . . Was he?

He locked eyes with Cloud.

No. Of course he wasn't.

Their gaze lingered just a little longer.

"The floor."

After a moment, Squall nodded in understanding.

"You have your duties," he told the other two before turning on his heel and leaving them. Yuffie had a look of utter bewilderment plastered on her face, unsure about the exchange that had just taken place. She turned to Cid, a brow raised enquiringly. He shrugged, giving Tifa a curt nod before walking out the front door. Yuffie blinked at them, pausing a moment. After a while, she too nodded, a kind yet confused smile playing on her lips, before quickly jostling after the old man.

Tifa managed a small, tired smile.

Cloud's expression softened.

"Tomorrow. Now, you sleep."

She nodded slowly.

"Tomorrow."

* * *

He didn't like her.

Well, not exactly 'didn't like' _per se_, but. . . he felt a little distrustful towards the newest addition to the house. She had come running to them after the Heartless began multiplying, _conveniently_ 'traumatized' for some obscure reason; muttering on and on about 'shadows' and 'monsters' that everyone had already known about. What was she planning on? Seeking sympathy? Perhaps plotting something against the handful that could _actually fight back_ against the Heartless?

Squall shook his head.

He was overanalyzing things. Cloud knew her, didn't he? Cloud was an ally- no, a _friend_, wasn't he? The brunette just couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger rise through him whenever he saw them exchanging those knowing looks. It wasn't anything. Just a little aversion. No, he shouldn't even feel that way. There shouldn't be any room for distaste. None at all.

'_Something still isn't right about Cloud Strife_,' a weary voice told him, echoing briefly in the back of his mind.

'_I know that_,' he snapped inwardly, attempting to silence it.

There shouldn't be anything to fear. Not unless. . . not unless she was a traitor. If that were so, then could that mean that. . . _Cloud_ was a traitor too? Was this what he was hiding? Was everything a mere charade? Were all of them playing into his trap? Were the-

'_God, Leonheart. Stop being such a cynic_,' he chided himself, sighing frustratedly.

He would have to sit back and watch. Wait and see. He _trusted_ Cloud enough to believe that the blond wouldn't betray them. If this. . . this. . . this _Tifa_ was a friend of his -- someone that Cloud seemed to care for and trust dearly -- then Squall would have no choice but to trust her too. That was all there was to it.

That didn't mean that he liked her. No. Not one bit.

* * *

"Those are _my_ spring rolls! Give them _back_!"

"I don't see yer name on 'em. Good as mine."

"_That's it_, ya old geezer; **you're going down**!"

"I _am_, am I? Let's see what yer skinny ass can do, apart from maybe scratch me to death."

"Why you. . ."

"_Sit_."

A tense moment of silence lingered at the dining table, the two bickering residents turning their heads _very_ carefully to meet Squall's venomous glare. The dark-haired man eyed them both, _challenging_ them to retaliate. They swallowed in unison before settling back into their seats, shooting each other dirty looks.

Tifa smiled gently, passing a plate of fried beef to Yuffie.

"You feeling any better?" the young girl asked, trying to shake off the feeling that a pair of stormy grey eyes were burning into her face.

"Yes. A little tired, but I'm feeling better," Tifa replied.

"Spiky here, err, he didn't. . . _try_ anything. . . did he?" she asked hesitantly, sneaking nervous glances to the frowning blond. Squall's eyes narrowed.

"No, he didn't."

"Ah. Err, I mean, _good_," she quipped hastily, flashing Cloud a sheepish grin.

His brows had knitted together distastefully, but he remained quiet, refilling his bowl with more rice. They ate in. . . relative silence; broken every now and then by an argument between Cid and Yuffie. Before it could escalate, Squall would immediately put his foot down, effectively shutting the two up before the process repeated itself all over again.

Tifa missed it; the friendly bickering between old friends. A flicker of grief flashed through her eyes.

"I see you _still_ don't eat onions."

Her eyes widened, caught off guard. She caught a glimpse of the blonde's ghost smile, tugging gently at his lips. Trying to embarrass her with a little blackmail? Tifa arched a brow, amused. Two can play at that game.

"That, coming from someone who hasn't touched peanuts ever since he was told that they were actually insect cocoons? How mature."

Cloud immediately frowned.

Yuffie choked on her rice at that statement, causing a mildly amused Cid to thump her back. Squall raised his eyebrows acerbically, passing the ninja girl a glass of water. He gave Cloud a slightly incredulous look, causing the blonde's eyebrows to furrow.

"I resent that. I'm a grown man of 21; I can _choose_ what I want to eat. Besides. . . allergies," Cloud muttered, his frown deepening. Tifa leaned back in her chair, chuckling slightly. Breakfast resumed, the clinking of cutlery against the porcelain plates progressing for a few minutes before a pair of grey eyes blinked in discovery.

"You're 21?"

Cloud stared at Squall.

". . . Yes."

The brunette grunted in reply, shrugging slightly. He speared some chicken onto his plate nonplussed before passing it on to Cid. As he ate, he became mildly uncomfortable; feeling as though a pair of eyes were lingering on him. The dark-haired man ignored it for a while, but when he glanced up, he saw the questioning look in Cloud's outlandish eyes. Squall blinked a few times before he returned the gaze and straightened up in his seat.

"Thought you were a year older than me or something."

Yuffie began choking again, balling a hand into a fist and beating her chest. Her cheeks had become incredibly flushed, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. Tearing his wry gaze away from the girl, Cloud eyed Squall wearily.

". . . How old are you?"

A pause.

"17."

Cloud's eyes narrowed in response, a scowl upturning his lips.

"I _resent _**that**. These looks are hereditary! It's not my fault I look more like my mother than. . ." he trailed off, noticing that everyone else (aside from the younger man) had already burst into laughter. Cloud tightened his lips, forming a thin line. Sulking slightly, he began stabbing his beef with his fork, waiting for the mirth to subside. Soon after, Cloud noticed that Squall's lips had tugged upwards very slightly in amusement. He rather liked it, wondering why he didn't see it more often since they were under the same roof with a pair of clowns. The blonde glowered at Cid and Yuffie who were bursting in sniggers.

"You seem pretty close," Tifa commented after a while.

Cloud and Squall remained silent, unsure of how to respond.

"Hah! You have nooooo idea! They have these weird, silent looks; it's like they're having some sort of. . . I dunno, _telepathic _conversation. They keep disappearing together everyday too, and they never tell us where they're going. Who knows what they get up to when no one's watching," Yuffie ended darkly, a wicked grin playing on her lips. Tifa had a delighted look on her face, grinning at the two men aforementioned.

Cloud and Squall exchanged a dry look, both nodding in silent agreement after a moment. They returned to their plates wordlessly.

Yuffie eyed them wearily.

". . . What are you guys planning to do to me. . .?"

Squall grunted in response, uncaring. The blond man poured some water into his glass, passing it on to Tifa.

". . . err, you think I can room with you tonight?"

The long-haired woman smiled kindly.

"Of course."

* * *

A couple of days before, Squall had deemed Cloud physically able to defend himself _and_ the house against any impending threats that they might face. Because of this, the three arranged their new duties in such a way that Cloud was on _constant_ lookout, since he was technically still barred from leaving the house. Now, they made their rounds faster and more efficiently, enabling each of them to return to their home earlier to relax.

Squall, Cid and Yuffie were already patrolling the streets, leaving Tifa and Cloud to house-sit.

Apprehensive, the long-haired woman sat down on one of the couches beside the blond, silently pushing him to begin telling her about the entire. . . _mess_.

He remained quiet, thoughtfully trying to word his story in the most appropriate manner. Cloud glanced up at Tifa, noticing the desperate look in her eyes and sighed in resignation.

There would be no easy way to say it.

"We were all from Hollow Bastion. We grew up together, played a part in each others' lives. That day. . . do you remember? Aerith said that she wanted to see the different worlds," he paused, recalling the distant look on the flower girl's face. "She wanted to fly on Cid's ship and discover the lands beyond the stars. Do you remember who remained when you, Aerith and Vincent left?"

Tifa nodded silently, pausing for a moment.

". . . I do. Cid, and Yuffie, and. . ."

She looked at him for a moment, slightly hesitant.

"You. . . you've. . . Have you found them, the others, yet. . .?"

Cloud remained silent.

Slowly, he turned to look at her straight in the eye.

". . . I have, Tifa."

A wave of relief washed over her, drowning out all her anxiety. She relaxed, leaning back against the couch slightly. They were alive. . . all of them were safe. . . _alive_.

Cloud felt cruel for having to shatter her instance of security.

". . . None of them remember me."

Tifa's eyes widened in shock.

He breathed calmly, trying to keep the words from tumbling out.

"_Sephiroth_."

Her expression darkened considerably, a hand unconsciously making its way to cover her mouth. She had heard. It was difficult not to have known. Sephiroth, a General of the Hollow Bastion Armies, _fallen_ to the shadows. He was in league with the enemies, cutting away friend after friend with an insatiable bloodlust. He was unyielding, unrelenting. There wasn't even a stir of loss or regret in his heart. Not even a tear to mourn the dead.

". . . He. . . gave his heart into the darkness. 'The stronger the light, the greater the shadow.' But then. . . he went. . . _insane_. His power. . . his magic. . . all of it was. . . _overflowing_ within him. He tried to kill them. . . so I stopped him; _tried_ to stop him. He knew I was dying. . . but he didn't kill me off. I thought that. . . maybe. . . there might still be hope left," he said quietly, staring at his clenched fists. His knuckles had turned white, the feeling in his fingers wavering.

"He _cursed_ me, Tifa. Sephiroth _cursed_ me. I'm still trying to. . . figure it out."

Tifa looked on, her gut twisting with anger and misery. How could he _do_ this to them? They had been so close. . . they had been _friends_. How could he have so easily given in to the darkness? The strongest of them all. . . siding with the darkness. How could they _survive_?

". . . there was a great big barrier surrounding Hollow Bastion. You _must've_ seen it. Squall managed to drag me out in time. Everyone caught inside. . . they don't know anything. . . their past has all been erased. . . _that_ is what I have to figure out. I have to lift this curse. . . have to fight him and. . . _heal_ myself. . . so that everyone can remember again," he ended weakly, his expression that of bitterness.

Tifa whispered his name, squeezing his hand gently.

A comfortable, companionable silence lingered between them as they gathered their thoughts.

"I need to get stronger," Cloud said after a while, quietly and resolutely.

Tifa nodded in understanding.

They would make it through. She would make sure.

* * *

There were a few loud noises coming from the basement. Cid had been clambering about for some time, cursing loudly once in a while for the rest of the household to hear. Cloud was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, a curious Yuffie tailing him, wondering if she could pick up a few tips and tricks from the man. Meanwhile, Squall and Tifa were in the dining area, setting up the table.

They heard some muffled exchanges between the two, sailing along the lines of herbs and boiling and whatnot. Tifa chuckled slightly, recalling a few episodes in the past that weren't as successful in terms of cooking. Squall eyed her quietly, but opted not to say a word. She noticed this look; it was a look of curiosity. . . but faintheartedness. She grew up with a man as stoic, after all.

There had been an anomalous, quiet acceptance between the two when Squall had returned from his rounds. An unreadable, burning look in their eyes. They shared it between them, keeping their secrets wrapped under shrouds. Squall didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. They shouldn't be keeping anything from the rest. Whenever he found himself looking at the woman, he couldn't help but feel a strange pang of anger wrench his gut; it was odd, really. There wasn't anything in particular to dislike about Tifa. . . but. . . he just couldn't help narrowing his eyes whenever they landed on her.

"Before he left to join Hollow Bastion's Military Academy, Cloud used to spend _hours_ in the kitchen and laundry room, just so he could learn a bit of housekeeping." She paused, a smile tugging at her lips. Squall frowned, his eyes narrowing. "I can tell you, he was _horrible_ at it. He loved experimenting, and one day, he exited the kitchen covered in _purple goo_. Everyone was shocked. The entire neighbourhood turned up to see. He had never been so embarrassed before in his life."

Tifa chuckled. Squall's frown had deepened. He didn't like that tone of familiarity. Not when _she_ used it.

"He was a spunky kid. A little shy, but quite the ball of energy. After the incident, he refused to leave his bedroom for a week. When we managed to coax him, he became quiet and withdrawn. We were all a little worried, but he didn't say anything. One day, when the old man came back to town, he found a can of his most rare and expensive gummi lubricant empty."

She grinned widely, a hint of pearly white teeth. Squall found himself pause.

It seemed vaguely similar to something in the past. . . but what. . .?

"Cloud was horrified that he had been found out. Hid in a tree until the old man left. Can you imagine? _Four days_ in an apple tree. He survived because the fruits were ripe, bless him. Cid was furious; hunting through the entire town for Cloud. You should have seen the look on his face!"

Tifa laughed out loud this time, shaking her head a little at the memory. Unconsciously, the corners of Squall's own mouth tugged upwards, though he found himself feeling more and more disinclined towards the long-haired woman. He could somehow imagine a young Cloud stuck up in willowy branches, keeping a weary eye out for a fuming old git.

_Really_ now. . . What the _hell_ was wrong with him?

'_Hang on. Did she say 'Cid'?_'

"Will it taste tangy if I added this?"

"I don't know, and I honestly don't care."

"Oh. Okay."

"H-hey! Don't pour it i-"

There was a loud burble, followed by a hissing sound trailing from the kitchen.

Cloud was cursing very loudly, muttering profanities against the stove. Yuffie was stuttering apologies, though she couldn't quite get _that_ tone out of her voice.

Cloud emerged from the kitchen, _coated_ in brown gravy and sauce.

Tifa tried to stifle her laugh, accidentally letting out a snigger. He narrowed his eyes as she fought to keep a straight face. Even Squall couldn't keep that amused look off his face. Cloud glared at him, their eye contact remaining constant for a moment. Squall was unrelenting, the smugness on his face becoming even more apparent as he returned the gaze. Tifa was almost certain that they were challenging each other to a fight, until. . .

"The black one," Cloud said suddenly, scowling.

"No."

"Why not?"

A thoughtful pause.

"**_No_**."

The blond cursed under his breath, stalking off to the shower.

Tifa stared at the location Cloud stood only moments before.

A grin widened on her face.

"I find it amusingly ironic."

Squall halted, turning to look at the woman.

". . . what?"

"Clouds are a grand existence. They are untouchable and great, able to block out even the Sun. Even so, everyone wants a cloud in the sky; a constant, white shade," she said suddenly, a complete change in topic. Squall quirked a brow, silent for a moment.

"Rain clouds are grey."

"A little thunder is to be expected. No one can expect clouds to come without its fair share of rain. But in the end, they become white again anyways. They can go wherever they want, do anything they want, but," she paused eyeing him with an inexplicable smile. "They can never seem to oppose the wind. Wherever a breeze, or a wind, or a typhoon, or a squall, or a tempest blows, a cloud will float along, regardless of its own wishes."

Tifa grinned at him.

"Ironic, isn't it?"

His brows furrowed, puzzlement reflecting in his eyes.

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"I'm amazed to see how much you've got Cloud wrapped around your finger, Squall."

He blinked at her. Before he could open his mouth to respond, Cid stalked out of the basement, calling for a glass of water. Graciously, Tifa went to the kitchen to assist Yuffie, leaving Squall by himself to ponder what she meant.

* * *

About a half hour later, Cloud emerged from the brunette's room, visibly cleaner than before. His hair hung down on his face in wet, limp strands. Only when Tifa caught a glimpse of him did the silent conversation between the two men click; he was wearing Squall's (favourite, as Yuffie would later relate to her impishly) white shirt, apparently one of his last few clean ones. In the kitchen, the young girl had shared with her how much the cold and aloof Squall was a little more open ever since Cloud arrived. He was more considerate and less condescending, especially once he and Cloud began disappearing for their early morning romps who-knows-where. It seemed as though they were really very close – growing even closer – judging from how they had conversations without even having to say a word.

Amused, Tifa just couldn't help but agree.

"Nice shirt there. Paul's?" Cid asked, a brow arched slyly.

Cloud snorted in response, smirking as he saw Squall scowl at the old man.

Before he could open his mouth to respond, a cold chill jolted through his body, making his insides feel shrivelled up in a frostbiting numbness. The entire room went black. No warmth, no light. Just. . . darkness. His heart stopped.

Cloud knew this feeling. . . he knew it all too well.

A shrill sound rattled through the air raspily.

_The Heartless_.

He looked around wildly, hoping to somehow see the others. Tifa, Tifa needed to be safe. She was weak. She had just survived an attack from the Heartless, another one would just. . .

_Squall_.

He whipped his head around. Where was Squall? He couldn't see anything at all, but he knew that somehow, he just _had_ to see the brunette. He wanted to see the confident, reassuring look in those hazy grey eyes, and the heartening nod of encouragement. He wanted to see that miniscule, tender smile that would disappear as suddenly as it appeared. It somehow gave him a boost of confidence and silent support from the stoic man. He needed the efficient backup the younger man provided too, but. . .

He needed Squall.

But all that he could see was an infinite darkness.

The timbre of the Heartless, he could hear it surrounding him. He needed to protect himself. His sword. He needed Buster Sword. Cloud regulated his breathing, trying to think clearly. Buster Sword. . . he needed to remember where Buster Sword was. . .

_In Squall's room_.

In a split second, just as shadowy claws came slicing through the air, he dodged it, darting to the side and running a route he had memorized weeks earlier. He sped past couches and tables, skidding to halt in front of a wall and tumbling into a door that was slightly ajar. He brushed his fingers lightly against the wall, moving along until he felt the hard, cold metal of his sword's blade. He took the hilt into his grasp, firmly swinging the sword to the left to slash the Heartless that had somehow found him.

Voices.

Cloud strained his ears.

Yes. . . Yuffie's. . . Yuffie and Cid. . . he could hear them. . . he could hear them fighting. The blade moved swiftly to the right, forming a large arc that cut more of the monsters in half. More of them came, jumping on him. He used the sword as a shield-of-sorts, blocking their attacks. He could hear. . . he could hear Yuffie shouting. . . telling someone to get out of the way. . . the shuriken swiftly cutting through the air. . . she was screaming at someone. . . Cloud jumped up, performing a somersault in mid-air as he swung his sword upwards, cutting his enemies, invisibly cloaked within the darkness. Slashes. . . there was someone else in the living room. . . he needed to get out. . . he needed more space.

He dropped the tip of his sword to the ground, using it as a catapult as he sailed through the doorway, bringing up Buster Sword to slash and slice the enemies that had jumped in front of him.

He brought his sword down on something equally as hard and resilient.

There was a grunt from the other side; sneering a little. His eyes narrowed, attempting to squint at the figure, but he couldn't even see his hand before his eyes; it did no good.

The whistling of air. . .

'_The bastard's sword must be pretty damn sharp_,' Cloud thought grimly as he quickly rolled to the side to dodge the attack. Gripping Buster Sword a little more firmly, he swung it in an arc, sweeping it across the floor. He heard a few shrill noises; some Heartless had been caught in the attack. His opponent, however, had been perceptive enough to dodge it, but just not quick enough. Cloud didn't attempt to suppress the smirk that played across his lips as he felt the tip of Buster Sword neatly slice at something. He heard a strangled voice curse in response.

Immediately, Cloud rolled to the left before jumping back onto his feet. He heard the other sword thrust into the ground before it began slicing horizontally, cutting a few Heartless away at the same time.

'. . ._Where did_ that_ come from?_'

He flinched as he felt something cold and hard slash across his forearm. Cloud had just been hit by the blunt side of his opponent's sword, but he cursed inwardly for allowing himself to get distracted. He dropped Buster Sword at an angle and lunged towards the other figure, accurately estimating his location through his keen hearing. He brought his blade up, packing the swing with power, but he was deflected by a well placed parry by the opponent using. . . the hilt of his sword?

He shifted to the right automatically, dodging the kick that he was sure would follow. It was strange. . . it was as if his body was following some sort of order; a pattern. He felt like he was dancing well-memorized moves to some strange dance. He winced as a sharp sting cut through his shoulder blade. Cloud allowed his entire body to drop, giving a sweeping kick towards the opponent's legs before sliding back.

'_This is way too familiar. . ._'

"Squall?"

The other man froze, his arm still held up in mid-swing.

'_So it _was'

Cloud sighed slightly, exasperation tingeing it, as he lowered his sword and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't hide the fact that he _did_ feel an overwhelming sense of reprieve that he had located the brunette. . . but. . . too much time had been wasted for nothing.

There was a scream.

Both of them stiffened at once, grasping their swords firmly. Cloud nodded to him, forgetting that neither could be seen, but he knew that Squall had nodded back. It was relief in itself. Together, the rose their swords and fought through the hordes of monsters as they made for the doorway. Abruptly, Squall used the blunt side of the Gunblade to hit Cloud headlong in the chest, causing the older man to get hurled backwards and onto the floor.

Cursing, he brought Buster Sword up to protect himself from shadowy claws.

'_Dammit. . ._'

Flames shot out from the tip of his blade, causing both man to jump a little at the sudden light. The flames shot up, burning through the Heartless and licking the wooden door. After his eyes had adjusted to the sudden light, Squall kicked the door down, rushing out. He brought his sword along the ground – as Cloud did way back when he had tried out Gunblade – and sliced through a titanic Heartless with his heavy attack. Its armour gleamed in the moonlight momentarily, and then it slid apart cleanly. Squall grunted in response, unwilling to show any emotion in a fight, and jumped, bringing the sword down to stab the monster directly in the head.

Cloud stumbled out, eyes currently spinning in its sockets as the glare from Traverse Town's street lamps and neon signs blinded him. His hearing was still on alert, so he managed to dodge when possible. He felt like a drunk, stumbling blindly on the dusty road.

As the last of the Heartless fell with a sharp scream, Cloud felt a warm hand grasp his elbow slightly, supporting him. He leaned against the touch and stabilized himself, blinking a few times before he found himself staring up at a pair of reassuring grey eyes. He saw something. . . peculiar. . . something victorious in those eyes. . . and before he could realise it, he found his lips turned up into a small smile. _Triumph_. They had won. He stood up straight, his widening smile causing Squall to return it. At that moment, Cloud felt something warm bubble through him. . . as though he had drunk something warm and sweet and that it was spreading to the tips of his fingers. . .

Shadows burst from the ground, rising up into the sky. They stretched higher, creating a wall of darkness surrounding the house. It was as sturdy and as black as the darkness from inside had been before this. The shrill timbre of the Heartless resounded from the inside, it was as thought they were. . . _gleeful_. . . as though they had found. . .

Cloud's eyes widened.

_Tifa_.

He ran up to it, resisting the harsh force that was pushing him back. Staggering slightly, he managed to get right up to the solid wall of shadow and began pounding his fists against it, Buster Sword lying forgotten beside Squall.

"Tifa!" he cried out hoarsely, his voice cracking a little. "_Tifa_!"

And then something happened. Something eerily similar to Hollow Bastion.

Squall's mouth tightened to form a thin line, his pupils dilating in recognition. . . and _fear_.

The shadows that surrounded the shot up even higher, swivelling in the air for a moment before spreading out across the sky. Immediately, all the bright lights that dotted Traverse Town faded into the darkness, casting an eternal shadow across the city. Cloud's eyes was plastered on the surge of energy, his fists sliding across the wall limply, defeated. A strong hand grasped his arm firmly, tugging at it.

"Get out of here! We need to get out!"

He returned Squall's gaze with an equally determined, and additionally stubborn look of his own.

"I can't leave her! I promised to protect her; protect _them_! If I can't even protect _her_, then-"

He was interrupted rudely as the brunette unceremoniously pulled him as he ran across the street, Yuffie speeding alongside. Cloud wanted to pull away from him, put he didn't know why his body just followed obediently, flowing along as water did.

"Where's Cid?"

"I dunno! The old man isn't here!"

There were screams and shrieks that littered the town. Only one voice was loud enough to differentiate among the throng of people bustling through the streets in hysteria.

"The World Gate! No! Need to. . . World Gate! Hurry! Everyone's there! Need to leave!"

Squall gave the owner of the voice a sharp look without stopping, before turning to the ninja girl and nodding.

She returned the nod solemnly, and made a quick leap to the rook of a house, speeding towards the World Gate.

Squall was still firmly holding onto Cloud's wrist, unwilling to let go as they weaved through people and snaked through alleyways.

And they reached it.

_The World Gate_.

* * *

**A/N:** Hehe, lucky 7th chapter, people! I would like to thank everyone for kindly reviewing. Rebirth now has 1 500 hits! Hurray! (I will omit the fact that there are only 18 reviews. .. ahem) Anyways, I did this _determined_ to update before the weekend, since I have 2 other fics currently in need of work. Next update would be on **_Forward Motion_**. Due sometime next week. Anyways, what's a lucky 7th chapter without a lucky cliffhanger, eh? (nudgenudge, winkwink)

I think that this chapter might be a little corny, content-wise, but hey, need to move the plot along. And can you imagine a young, 12-yeard old Cloud hiding up in an apple tree away from Cid? XD That was off-the-rocker _inspiration_. I completely claim that!

Review!


	8. I Won't

**Rebirth**

**VIII: I Won't**

* * *

The streets were concentrated with people, hysterical women screaming out for help. Their voices buzzed, mingling together and drowning out anything coherent. The World Exit was packed, the gates forced open to the maximum. The entire town had turned out, pushing and shoving through the crowd to get through and escape.

"Women and children first! Women and children! You there, sir, women and children only now!"

A man dressed in a gummi ship captain's get-up was standing on a raised platform, shouting over the crowd using a microphone, his voice booming from loudspeakers attached to them. The gummi ships behind him had their custom-installed floodlights switched on, illuminating the dark town with bright, white lights. Cloud squinted, searching for a familiar face through the throng of people.

"Squall, I ca-"

A small, shaking figure, wrapped in a thick cloak pulled at the blonde's sleeve desperately, twisting the fabric in her gnarly hands. Tears were streaming down her face.

"My baby! She's not here!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I-"

"My baby! She's this tall! She's-she's only 5! Please! Have you seen my baby?"

Squall gripped Cloud's wrist a little tighter, pulling him away. He stepped in front of the woman.

"I saw a young girl running towards the ships."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

The woman ran off towards the gate, stumbling into people before disappearing within the crowd. Cloud faced the brunette, a grave look embedded on his face.

"That's a lie. You didn't have to do that."

Squall remained silent, allowing the fierce blue eyes to bore into his own.

"Say something," he snapped impatiently, twisting his hand out of the younger man's grip.

". . . If she didn't leave immediately, she would have been left behind. She'd have _died_."

Cloud's eyes narrowed, glowering at Squall's insensitivity. He opened his mouth to retaliate, but the entire suddenly shook violently, causing the gummi ships to bump into each other, and statues and water and tiles from rooftops to get thrown into the air and scatter. People were flung against buildings, groans and screams becoming louder. Another quake soon followed, and then by another, and another, until Cloud was sure he'd vomit if he opened his mouth. A pair of strong arms caught him as he sailed through the air, cushioning his impact as he was thrown against a stone wall. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head, the fluids in his body thrown back and forth.

The shaking grew even more violent, everything slowly breaking up and disintegrating into the dark vortex over the city.

'_This is it. . . This is the end. . ._'

* * *

"How's the kid doin'? Okay?"

"Gosh, I dunno. All of us are hurt real bad. . ."

"At least he's alive. . ."

"He might die unless someone treats his wounds."

"Shit. . . don't _say_ that kinda crap, ya idiot! Be thankful he's breathing!"

"I am."

A hoarse, strained laugh.

"Ya sure have a funny way of showin' it, ya punk."

Some small, rustling sounds. Someone shifted in their seat.

"How're you're wounds, tiny?"

There was a faint sound of movement, as though someone leaned forward. Someone's breath hitched, quickly withdrawing.

"Damn. . . I think my leg's broken. It's so darn painful. . ."

"Heh, no fuck. I dislocated a shoulder, I think. Can't really feel anything in my left leg, either. You?"

"Couple of broken ribs."

"Gosh. . . if you don't heal yourself, you might just accidentally puncture your lungs!"

"I'm still alive and breathing. I'm fine."

Cloud felt his head weigh down on him, though he was lying flat on the ground. Pain was searing through his entire body, smouldering him from the inside and threatening to burn through his skin. He tried to curl his fingers into a fist, but only managed to cause a little blood to jumpstart through his arteries. He didn't even the energy to groan in pain, only allowing himself to work his mind furiously. What had happened? Was he. . . was he _alive_?

"How'd the evacuation go?"

A grunt.

"S'odd. Never knew those Heartless smart enough to sniff us out. I mean, even with the fact that they followed that girl all the way out. . ."

"Where's Tifa?"

The three of them froze, eyes trained on the blond as he struggled to sit up, pain still twisting his body. Cloud only managed to roll over onto his side, a bloodied arm propping himself up. The rest of his body was too weak, too battered to follow his orders.

"Cloud! You're-you're awake! We were so worried about you!"

"Where _is_ she? What the hell _happened_?" he insisted, desperation flashing in his eyes.

They paused, eyeing each other wearily.

"Tell me, goddammit. _Tell me_."

The silence lingered a moment longer, the others exchanging dark looks. After a moment, Cid heaved a heavy sigh, shifting in his seat on the grass and pulling out a long green stalk from the ground, allowing himself to chew on it thoughtfully, as though he was going to tell an extremely long story. The other two kept their gaze downcast.

Cloud was liking the scenario less and less.

". . . the Darkness fell on us. We were separated; had to run off and call Emergency to evacuate the citizens. Tifa came with me. Couldn't see a damn thing. People and Heartless everywhere. No casualties to report, really, but. . . lots of disappearances."

Cloud's brows knitted together.

"_Where is she_?"

Cid eyed him, frowning deeply.

"She's gone. We managed to run out a bunch of people in our ships. She was dragging some kids away from the Heartless into them. Lost her in the crowd. Shit, I'm sorry man."

_She's gone_.

By then, nothing else Cid had said registered in his mind. Tifa was gone. _Tifa was gone_. His vows to protect the only kin he had left; **_gone_**. Cid and Yuffie were still here, still alive. But _she_ was the only one he knew was safe and that _remembered_ him; remembered their oaths and promises. Memories flashed through his mind all at once. 7 years ago. He still remembered. Hollow Bastion disintegrated before them, just as this world was doing now. But that was far too long ago to have as powerful an effect as the incident that he survived two months ago did. He was only 14 back then. They had fled to a different world, trying feebly to piece their lives back together again for the next few years.

And then on one fateful day – two months ago – Cid rushed up to them, going on and on about a world with Hollow Bastion's readings appearing on the radar. Everyone – every single person who was from Hollow Bastion – boarded gummi ships and sailed together through the endless waves of Heartless to see their home; to see if any of it was for real.

It stood there, wrecked; a far cry from it's original, sophisticated manifestation, only now a mere shadow of what it once was. But it was there. It stood there, wrecked, but as mighty as ever.

But as they reminisced within the cool stone walls of the castle, the Heartless returned, ripping the world once again like a flimsy canvas. Carefully painted strokes that had coloured their lives; all of it was reduced to shreds of emptiness with a mere slash.

His eyes had already squeezed shut, blocking everything else out.

'_She's gone._'

_But she's safe._

Cloud opened his eyes abruptly, finding himself staring into a pair of intense, grey eyes, hooded slightly by his drooping lids and long lashes. He had heard a voice. He didn't know to whom the voice belonged, but. . . it was reassuring all the same.

"But she's safe."

Cid stopped himself in mid-tirade, blinking at the blond. Cloud had said it in such a sure, reassuring tone, Cid was certain that the young man had said it to convince himself more than anything.

Somehow, Cid knew that Cloud was right, regardless. He nodded slowly in response.

"She's safe."

Cloud gave him a hard look as, as if trying to make sure the old man was being honest. After a brief instance, he accepted it, nodding curtly in response.

"She's safe," he echoed, pausing and looking up at the others.

"Now what the hell happened here?"

The blond gestured to his surroundings, the bleak darkness of night and the open fields next to a cement-grey city littered with buildings that were squashed together tightly. Yuffie cast Squall an uneasy glance before turning to Cloud, her hand clutching a crimson-drenched rag to a bloody thigh.

"We don't exactly know, but. . . after the strange vortex appeared, half the world was sucked in and destroyed. It's like what happened with Hollow Bastion all those years ago; it was only partially obliterated. We were pretty lucky, lemme tell you that," she said, chuckling nervously. Cloud nodded slightly, meaning for the girl to continue.

"Anyways, lots of buildings and stuff were ripped from the ground along with a _huge_ chunk of earth into the vortex – that's the reason behind the _big_ quakes and all the crazy shaking – and a lot of people were injured, colliding with all the flying stuff. We," she paused, motioning towards the group, "slammed into walls and cars and the like, trying to keep other people from getting hit while we were thrown about like stiff piñatas."

"Explains the injuries," Cloud said quietly, nodding.

"No shit, Sherlock," Cid quipped, snorting.

Yuffie rolled her eyes and resumed her explanation.

"When something as unnatural as that. . . that _thing_ happens, everything gets screwed up, as you should know. Messes up with the universe's balance. Lots of weird things happen. Traverse is upside down, inside out. We've been here _unmoving _for about two days already, as Squall here has kept count."

Two days. That _long_ was he asleep? Cloud nodded wearily, wondering what she was getting at.

"It's night, like, _all the time_. No sun at all! And this world is incomplete; half of it got ripped away, after all. One minute you get nothing but a never ending expanse of grass, and the next it's all these buildings packed together. It's as if they took all the houses and shops and all and shoved them together in this one tight spot. The town's _huge_, mind you, and divided into about three sections."

An endless night. . . and these strange new occurrences. Cloud tightened his lips, grim thoughts passing through his mind as heat shot through his body when he attempted to sit up properly. He grunted in a little pain, but managed to prop himself up against a wall, a hand applying pressure to a large wound in his side.

"We need to leave as soon as possible," a quiet, yet clear voice said, breaking the silence.

Cloud averted his gaze to the brunette silently. The others followed suit, but not with the same degree of passivity.

"What? _Are you mad_? Can't you see how beaten up we are! We haven't been able to _stand up_ for the past two days!"

"Ya great idiot, _I can't bloody feel my leg_! All ya got were some broken ribs! Stop bein' a cheap dick and let us at least fuckin' _heal_!"

Wordlessly, Squall took in all the protests and impertinence with patience. They had been through a lot, and everyone was at their limits; all of them on the verge of snapping in half. He was surprised and, to a degree, somewhat _proud_ that a girl as young as Yuffie was able to adapt as well as she did, given the current situation. She hadn't broken down yet, and her determination seemed to strengthen with each passing moment.

He waited for them to finish their ranting. And when they did, he said his piece.

"There are Heartless here. We're lucky they haven't attacked yet. We need to go somewhere with medical supplies or our wounds will get infected while we heal on our own."

Cloud nodded absentmindedly, agreeing wholeheartedly with the brunette though a part of him was groaning in protest at having to move when he had had enough trouble sitting up straight. The other two fell silent, knowing that Squall was right, but too worn out to comply as of yet. They stayed in their positions a little while longer, gathering enough strength and preparing their minds for the pain they would endure soon.

Cloud made to get up, sending scorching daggers down his side. He gritted his teeth, trying his best to ignore the pain as he hoisted Yuffie up. She staggered a little, leaning against the blond for support. She had tied the rag tightly around her wound, to stop the bleeding. Cid had an arm around Squall, wobbling on his feet. Cloud hadn't noticed it before, but saw that the old man had a great gash in his back. Blood spread profusely from below his shoulder blades to the back of his knees.

Gravely pushing any other thoughts to the back of his mind, they stumbled towards the neon-lit city clumsily, ignoring the aches and the pain that jolted through their battered bodies to the best of their abilities.

* * *

It was surprising enough that they managed to get patched up decently enough, what with the state of _utter chaos_ the city was in, no thanks to the otherworldly vortex. In some place that resembled the previous town square, refugees were gathered, passing around food, clothes, and heading supplies around for free. It was a temporary shelter, but the mayor was still there and still _alive_, currently attempting to house everyone with the strange but familiar houses that were now available.

Mutely, the four of them went about helping the other citizens as though they were completely fine. All of them. Occasionally, Cid or Yuffie would wince in pain when the strained their legs too much, not to mention the young girl walked with a perpetual limp, still unable to put any weight on her left foot. Cloud and Squall were unaffected as usual, though the thick and white bandages that were wrapped around their bodies and arms in a startlingly thick pile were still allowing blood to seep through.

Once a while, when Squall felt overwhelmed at everything, he would turn to Cloud with intentions of getting angry and sad and frustrated all together; hoping that, somehow, the mysterious blond would be able to comfort him with some form of explanation, though unreliable, or. . . or even _false_. Anything would do. He was tired of being strong and stoic; tired at being unable to show weakness to the others because he knew that they were _depending_ on him. He wanted the _truth_. Cloud was hiding something, something _important_ that was somehow tied in with everything; something that he was keeping hidden from him. But then, when he met Cloud's warm, comforting gaze, instantly he felt all his rage and insecurity wash away.

There was no need for words.

They were in this together, and apparently together they would stick.

* * *

"We can't all stick together anymore. We need to be scattered throughout Traverse Town, or we'll be too late to fight of any Heartless, like last time."

Cloud raised his eyebrows at Yuffie, who seemed to ignore his boorishness.

A week had passed since they had been treated, living together with the other victims in the town square. The mayor had gone around with Cid and Squall to scout the new town, noting where it was abundant in Heartless, and the what's and how's and why's of the houses. They mapped out the buildings throughout Traverse and were now ready to place the citizens into their houses. They were concentrated in the First District, where there were no Heartless whatsoever.

And apparently, it seemed that each of them would be able to get a small, yet comfortable house of their own.

"I'm a girl, and I'm tired of staying with a bunch of smelly men," she said, resting a hand on her hip with a dejected expression. Cid made a face. Squall narrowed his eyes. Cloud raised his brows, bemused. She ignored them, continuing on. "It's only right if I get a place for myself. Next time we find a girl, she stays with me. 'Sides, it's more decent."

"I don't really care if I get a house on my own or not. As long as it's someplace safe, and has running electricity and water," Squall said dryly, frowning at the young girl. She had a point, but she didn't have to be all thespian about it.

Yuffie pursed her lips in response, turning to look at Cloud. The blond merely shrugged.

"Well, **_I_** want all the extra room I can get! I'm gonna recollect all my gummi parts and turn my place into a proper garage. Them moogles want a place for their synthesis, too. We can share; saves space and the like," Cid cut in assertively, a serious look on his face.

Yuffie rolled her eyes in response, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Speakin' of saving space, maybe the two of ya should just room. I heard that there might be more people coming into Traverse. Both of ya aren't all that picky about all this shit anyway, right?" Cid asked, a brow raised.

Squall turned to face Cloud, both of them sharing a thoughtful look. Cloud shrugged yet again.

"I don't really mind. If Squall's okay with it, then it's fine," he said indifferently.

They turned to look at the brunette. He shrugged as well.

"I'm okay with it."

Yuffie brightened, clapping her hands together with cheer.

"Great! Now, exactly where will who be staying?"

Cid snorted, crossing his arms. "A skinny punk like you should stay in the First District, you being the most useless of the bunch." Yuffie scowled, glaring at the old man.

"Actually, I think _you_ should stay in the First District, Cid."

They looked blankly at Squall.

"You have weapons and the like. You're better equipped to protect the townspeople should an attack occur, since everyone is staying there. Yuffie should go to the Second District. Lots of ledges. Better for defending, since she uses a shuriken," Cloud explained easily, earning a trite nod from the brunette.

Hesitantly, the gummi expert and the ninja girl agreed.

"I guess that leaves you guys with the Third District," Yuffie said uncertainly, leaning crossing her arms.

Squall shrugged.

"We'll stay near the entrance. Less Heartless. Easier to warn each other."

"You guys don't get into trouble with them Heartless now. Don't even get in trouble with _each other_," the young girl warned. Squall snorted. She turned to Cloud. "And you. **_You_** don't go all whacko and reopen all your wounds; new _and_ old."

He shrugged easily, giving Yuffie a reassuring look.

"I won't."

* * *

**A/N:** Hey there, people. This chapter was meant to be posted last night, but FFnet failed on me (stpuid piece of shit). Anyways, this wasn't proofread (and my tenses are really, really bad) so I would like to apologise for any typos or grammatical errorsor anything along those lines. This chapter is slightly shorter than the two earlier ones, but I managed to squeeze in the plot. Hope it's to your liking, and less idiotic than _**Emulsion**_. The yaoi challenge of mine posted in that fic is still open, btw, and if you should pm me with your posts, I can put them in the _Collection of Strife and Leonheart Yaoi_ community. Just to note, the S&L Yaoi Commhappens to be the largest CLC community in FFnet, and in the top 5 in the Kingdom Hearts categoryfor archive size! Woohoo! High-five everyone! Let us all add to the Cloud x Leon x Cloud lurve by raising the fic count! Post your CLC, post I tell ya!

Haha, anyways, time to shamelessly raise my word count by answering some well placed questions and reviews; which I _should_ have done earlier.(Laughs sheepishly)

**Q:**_Why did Tifa pop up instead of Aerith/Aeris? I was real sure that it was gonna be Aerith/Aeris in chapter 6/7!__  
_**A: **Well, if it were Aerith/Aeris, it would prove to be a big plot hole in the fic. Also, I'm a Tifa fan, so, no. Sorry, folks. (Chuckles nervously) But Aerith/Aeris will get her short screen time soon enough. Okay, maybe not _that_ soon, but. . . eventually.

**Q:**_When the hell is Sephiroth gonna appear!_  
**A:** Hmm, you'll just have to wait and see. Technically, he already _has_ appeared, (Cloud _has_ those bruises on his forearms, courtesy of our resident Mister Bad Guy) so, yeah. (Ducks away from random flying objects)

**Q: **_Will Sora and the gang appear?_  
**A: **No, and for good measure too. If you were observant enough, you would realize that this is a _**Pre-**_Kingdom Hearts fic.That means this is inserted nicely before the game. If Sora and the others were to make an appearance now. . . well, I'd be introuble then, won't I?

**Q: **_Was there something going on between Tifa and Cloud in the past for them to be so close?__  
_**A: **(Coughs nervously) There was _supposed_ to be, ifyouconsiderthemhavingtheirfirsttimetogetherorsomethingsincetheyarechildhoodfriends, but I'll spare you and keep this to a nice yaoi. I'd hate getting back into the dumb 'Cloud and Aerith should be a couple!' 'No, Cloud and Tifa! Tifa!' argument. (I am a Tifa fan. (high-fives Claw) Go Tifa!) Besides, Cloud and _Leon_ is so much more desirable a pairing, and easily outweighs CA or CT aaaanytime. Sorry Tifa, but I just think it's hotter is all.

**Q: **_Were the Heartless chasing Tifa or something? Was she leading them there? Will she reappear?_  
**A: **Well, that's three questions all related to Tifa, so I just decided to dump it in one easy explanation: Yes, because they sniffed her out as she stumbled into town. No, because she didn't know any of the others were there, and she would _never_ (not in any of _my_ fics, anyways). Probably not, but I'll be sure to mention her. Next.

**Q: **_You have got your chronology and facts aaaaall screwed up, dude._  
**A: **Not really. Well, I did at first. ( Stupid Square people jumped everyone's ages and information around) (Rolls eyes) But everything happens for a _reason_. And in this fic, there **is** a _reason_ why Cloud is 4 years older than Squall, when the official site clearly states that in the KH timeframe, Leon is 25 and Cloud is 22 (which I must deeply protest). First of all, if you have noticed, I stole their ages from the original FF games. (I think an older Cloud is so much more appealing, anyways, lol) Since I am a factual person, somehow or rather, they are going to inch into their proper age by the time we step into KH zone. How? You'll just have to wait and see. In fact, it probably won't even be in this fic. And you may take that last statement in _any_ way you want. ..

**Q: **_Stop going on and on about CLC fics and give them to meeee!_  
**A: **Uhh, okay. (Sweatdrops) Go to my profile page and step into my community, the _Collection of Strife and Yaoi_ comm. We have (as of this chapter's posting) about 64 fics archived there, with more than (half of the archive)30 rated M. (Chuckles stupidly) You may not see them, so be sure to View All Ratings and to Sort By Update date in order to check them all out in order of updates.

**Q: **_I want Leon x Cloud smut!_  
**A: **Don't we all? (Sighs forlornly) Anyways, I'd like to correct most people and reaffirm something important. **This is a Cloud x Squall/Leon fic**. Cloud is older than Squall/Leonheart inthis fic due to an important plot twist! Please get this fact straight, 'cause I get tired of people screaming each time I tell them that **Squall/Leon is underneath**. Smut will come, but not anytime too soon. And also, this ties in with the next question:

**Q: **_I believe you mentioned something about a Sephiroth x Cloud x Squall/Leon orgy?_  
**A: **Yes, indeed I did. Thank you for noticing. There will come a time in the future where I shall change the rating to M. That's when you get your smut, you pervy horndogs. (Laughs idiotically) I'm kinda anxious. I haven't been too good at writinglemon. . . But I will. . . try? Must improve. . .

**A: **_Waaaahh! I _love_ your scene/plot/story! Can use it/bits of it/everything to use for myself/post somewhere?_  
**A: **Uhm, yes and no. I thank you for liking what I write, and I suppose I would permit certain scenes or twists to be used elsewhere (just tell me if you do), _but_ when it gets to the point of copying my entire/most of mystoryline, it's a firm _no_. Where distribution is concerned, just let me know.

**Q: **_Where's the graphic yaoi fic you promised!_  
**A: **(Coughs very, very nervously) I've written about. . . a quarter of it, but I'm not gonna post it, sorry. I have other things and other fics in mind, but there will come a point in time when I'll post it. That, I promise you.

Phew! That was long! Anyways, onto the reviews!

I'd like to thank:

**MiruSedna**, a firm _**Rebirth**_ fan! She has reviewed nearly all the chapters since the beginning! Thank you so much!  
**Lilly**, uhm, I hope you enjoyed it. (Smiles sheepishly)  
**Kyme**, thanks for reviewing, Sam-chan! (Glomples)  
**Bloodyrose666**, woohoo, am I glad!  
**soul of a fire dragon**, you added _**Rebirth**_ to your favourites? Awesomeness! And thanks so much!  
**yllom21**, yeah, neither can I. (Laughs idiotically)  
**Jenniyah**, whoa, did you know that in Malay, _Jenayah_ means crime? Lol, thanks for your support and reviews in (gasps happily) _**all my KH fics**_!  
**lunabear**, heehee, I'm so happy!  
**Manders1953**, another favourite-er? Wheeeeee!  
**alescaA**, thank you so much. I definitely will. RAISE THE CLCFIC COUNT! (Chants)  
**claws**, oh yeah! Score! Thanks so much yo! And, GO TIFA

Anyways, I'll writepost chapter4 of _**Forward Motion**_ tonight. Ah, and, this fic has 1971 hits! Hurray for hitpoints! (Blinks) Wait, what?

Ahaha, anyways, review!


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